The Dragonborn
by mythbuff
Summary: This follows the main quest line of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from the perspective of the hero. The story, most characters, some dialogue, and settings are all property of Bethesda Studios and not of my own making. Hope you enjoy and give me honest feedback.
1. Unbound

Chapter One: Unbound

A large bump in the road awoke me from my sleep. _How did I get into this carriage?_ I wondered. I looked down and saw that my hands and feet were chained together with iron shackles. I followed the chain to the seat next to me and saw that I was not alone. My cuffs connected me to a man sitting next to me. He was very large and had long flowing gray hair. He had a gag over his mouth and was staring out the open back of the carriage.

"Look who's finally awake," said a voice to my left. I turned to see who was talking and saw that there were another two men with us. One was wearing rags and sandals and was chained up just like I was. The man he was chained to, the one who had spoken, was wearing armor and a helmet. The armor looked makeshift and was obviously not made by the government for professional soldiers.

"Why am I here?" I asked him. I had no memory of getting arrested or of anything at all for that matter. I had no idea who the three men I was being transported with were or where we were going.

The man across from me scoffed. "My guess is that you got arrested. Just like us."

"I shouldn't be here," said the man in rags. "I'm innocent. I have nothing to do with the likes of you!"

"Watch your tongue! Don't you know who that is?" He was referring to the man I was chained to, the only one of us with a gag over his mouth.

"That's the king. The rightful king of the whole land. You should watch how you speak around 'the likes of us.'"

"He is not the rightful king!" The other retorted. "The rightful king is sitting in his palace throne right now! This man is just a prisoner, and I'll be damned if I lose my head for him!"

"Someone want to tell me what is going on?" I demanded.

The two men looked puzzled. The 'rightful king' was still solemnly staring at the road disappearing behind us.

"You really don't know?" Said the one in rags.

I shook my head.

"Wow. They must've hit you on the head pretty damn hard," said the one in armor. My name is Ralof, and I work for that man sitting next to you. His name is King Ulfric! He is the rightful king of -"

"Keep quiet back there!" Yelled the guard driving the carriage.

Ralof continued in a hushed tone. "He is the leader of the rebellion. He has traced his family back to the first emperor of the land, and now he wants to take his throne back. I am one of his personal bodyguards. We were walking through a small village trying to recruit more soldiers for the rebellion when we walked into an ambush. Most of our men were killed. The rest of them are in that carriage in front of us."

I looked to the front of the caravan and saw another carriage that had five or six soldiers in it, sitting the same way we are.

"Why is...Ulfric, right?...Why is Ulfric the only one not allowed to talk? The rest of us don't have gags, and he does."

"Because the kingdom is scared of how persuasive he is. He recruited 300 men one day just by giving a speech regarding his heritage. They're worried his army will grow too powerful."

"Can we just stop talking, please?" The man in rags had finally decided to join the conversation.

"No one was talking to you, traitor."

"How am I the traitor? You are all trying to overthrow the government and have this supposed 'heir' lead you. Where is your proof? Where is the paper that shows his true lineage?"

"Quiet!" The driver yelled again.

The men went silent. The carriage continued to bump along the dirt road for what seemed like miles. The woods surrounding them seemed to be dissipating slowly as they climbed higher into the mountains.

"See that, prisoner?" Ralof asked as he pointed in front of the caravan. "If you really have lost your memory, now is a pretty terrible time to get it back. I can't even imagine that. Just waking up in time for death."

"Death?"

"Oh yes, my friend." Ralof stared into my eyes menacingly. "This caravan is on its way to the executioner's block."

The caravan rolled into a small village. The road wound through the town with wooden buildings lining the sides. People were standing on their porches watching the carriages go by. It was obvious that this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"Get inside," I heard a man say. I turned towards the sound of his voice and saw a middle age man standing on his porch with a young boy at his side.

"But, Daddy," the young boy pleaded, "I want to watch the prisoners."

"I said, get inside!"

The boy sulked away inside as his father's gaze fell off of the caravan, and he began to sweep the fall leaves off of his porch.

With a quick, jerking stop, the caravan came to a halt. I looked around at the people nearby. There were several guards lining the road with bows in their hands. There were two men and a woman, all wearing the same armor as the guards but without helmets, standing near where the caravans had halted, reading off the names of prisoners and directing where they should be taken. A few minutes later, it was time for our caravan to be ordered.

The woman with the list of names began to speak. "Alright, prisoners. Step off."

We all rose and jumped down from the carriage one by one. The two men on either side of the woman unshackled us from each other but kept our cuffs on.

"When I call your name, step forward! Ralof of Riverwood?."

Ralof stepped forward.

"Says here you're Ulfric's personal bodyguard. To the block." With no complaints, Ralof walked with his head high to the line of other men awaiting death.

"Lokir of Rorikstead?."

The ragged man stepped forward. "Please, I beg of you, I have no reason to be here. I'm innocent!"

"Not according to my sheet. Says here that you're responsible for the theft of three horses in the past month. How do you plead?"

"That was all a misunderstanding! It was all an accident! I-"

"Accident? So you admit that you were a factor?

"Well...yes, but-"

"To the block."

"No!" Lokir yelled. "You can't do this! I'll never go there!"

Two guards grabbed him from behind, but he wrestled out of their grasps. Even though his hands were still shackled, he sprinted down the road, desperately trying to get to safety.

"Archers!" The woman yelled. All of the guards lining the road drew back arrows and fired upon Lokir. All of the arrows found their target, and he fell to the ground, dead.

"Anyone else want to try that? No? Good. Now, we can get on with the list." As she flipped through her pages, the guards picked Lokir's body off of the street and pulled it over to the side of the road.

"Ahh, the moment we have all been waiting for," she continued. "High King Ulfric. The rightful heir to the throne is now in front of us as a prisoner. I think you know where you're heading."

Without waiting for the orders, Ulfric silently turned and took his place next to Ralof.

"Who the hell are you?" This question was directed to me.

"If I knew I would tell you," I responded.

"I guess that answers that. You're a wise guy. Answer me. Why are you here?"

I sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know. That's the truth. I woke up on this caravan with no memory of who I am or why I'm here."

The woman stared into my eyes, trying to see if she could find traces of deception. Apparently, she found some.

"To the block. Whatever your crime was, either you don't want to tell us because you don't want to die or it was so horrendous that it blacked itself out of your own memory." The guards pulled me over to the execution line as I tried to figure out this woman's logic.

The executioner was taking practice swings against a wooden table. Next to him was a small stone placer that was splattered with the blood of executed criminals. There was a wooden box in front of it that was used to catch the heads. For some reason, I was not disgusted by this. I mean, obviously I was disgusted by it. It was barbaric. But the blood did not bother me. Neither did the thought of laying my neck on the stone block and staring at the wooden box, waiting for the quick end. Maybe that crazy woman was right. Maybe I am a criminal and that is why this doesn't bother me as much as it should.

"You there," said a guard pointing to one of the criminals. "You're first."

The criminal stepped forward and knelt down in front of the block, laying his head down on it's red and gray surface. The executioner lined up his axe. The axe was monstrous. It was easily as tall as the executioner himself and the blade curved from the middle of the handle to a few inches over the top which was a good three feet. He raised the giant blade up. Just as he dropped it, I turned away. There was a hit of the blade and a gasp from a few bystanders. Then there was the solid thud when his head rolled into the box. I turned towards the block as the guards carried the body away and emptied the box. The woman spoke again.

"You. Prisoner. The one with no name. You're up next."

I looked her dead in the eye. She stared right back at mine. I held out for as long as I could but eventually broke my gaze and hung my head. I walked over to the block and laid my head down on it. I was facing the executioner and the large stone tower behind him. I heard something off in the distance.

"What was that?" a guard asked.

"It was nothing," another said. "Just get on with it."

The executioner lined up his blade and slowly raised it over his head. The sound came again. This time, however, we saw what had made it. Just before the executioner dropped his blade, something monstrous crashed into the tower. It was huge, with black leathery wings and horns on its head. Its silver teeth glinted in the light. A blood curdling screech erupted from its jaws. The whole town simultaneously began to panic. The beast reared its long neck back and opened its mouth. This time it didn't scream. It shot fire from its mouth and roasted the executioner right where he stood. I rolled off of the block and tried to stand before the beast could strike again.

"Archers! Fire at will!" Yelled a voice to my left as arrows soared overhead and into the beast. The monster didn't even seem to notice.

"Hey! Prisoner! Over here! Follow me!" This voice was familiar.

I rolled over to see where it had come from. Ralof was searching a dead guard for his keys. When he found them, he unlocked himself and ran over to me, helping me up.

"Let's go! Come on! Into that tower!"

We sprinted towards a nearby guard tower and kicked open the doors. We rushed inside and bolted the doors shut behind us.

"Let's get those shackles off of you." Ralof went behind me, and I felt the cuffs loosen and fall off. "Here, take this." He took the axe from a nearby weapons rack and gave it to me. "This escape won't be easy."

We ran up the spiral staircase that lead to the top of the tower. There was a loud explosion as the dragon made a giant hole in the side of the tower.

"Get against the wall!" Ralof ordered.

He pressed himself against the wall and pulled me next to him. The dragon stuck its head in and looked around. If I had been there by myself, I surely would have been roasted alive, but thankfully Ralof's plan worked, and the dragon left us alone. Unfortunately, when the hole was blown into the tower, the rubble blocked our path up the stairs. The only way out was back down the stairs or out the giant hole. Ralof chose the crazy route.

"How are your legs feeling?" He asked me.

"They're alright," I responded tentatively.

"Good. See that building?"  
>I looked to where he was pointing. Across a chasm that was about 10 feet wide and three times as deep was a building with the roof burned off.<p>

"I see it. What about it?"

"You're jumping to it."

"What? Why me? Why can't you jump to it?"  
>"I am. I'll be right behind you. You'll be fine. Just do it."<p>

_Easy for you to say_, I thought. It did seem like the best option though. I backed up as much as possible and measured my jump. I wanted to avoid the fiery part of the rafters while also trying to land on one that wasn't on fire. I finally found one that seemed perfect and braced myself for the jump. _Kinda wish I knew what deity to pray to_, I thought. I released all of my tension and sprinted for the gap. At exactly the right moment, I jumped for the rafter. I sailed through the air for what seemed like minutes until eventually I landed. Just as I landed, however, the rafter broke under my weight. Luckily, the rafter was only about 15 feet off the ground, and there was a table to break my fall.

"You okay?" I hear Ralof yell.

"I-uhh-yeah. I guess I'm-ow."

"Alright. I'll be right down."

I waited for a short while until I realized that Ralof was not coming down. Maybe he had gotten caught or maybe he found another way around. I didn't know but right now I was concentrating more on escaping. I made my way through the burning hut and out through a hole in the far wall. I could still hear the dragon circling ahead, its breath burning the village to the ground. On the outside of the hut was the man and his son that I had seen on my way into town.

"Shhh, stay quiet. It'll be okay, Khor. Don't worry," the father was saying as his son lay weeping in his arms. Next to them was one of the men who had been standing with the woman earlier.

"You escaped, did you, prisoner? Well, don't go too far. You're still a criminal."

"I don't give a damn right now," I retorted. "Right now, I am just trying to get out of here as safe as possible. I know that you are trying to do the same so why don't we just work together?"

"A prisoner work with a guard? Why not just work with the dragon too?"

"Your call." I began to walk away when he grabbed my arm.

"I didn't say no."

I drew the axe that was strapped to my back and he drew his sword. "Follow me," he said. We went across the street and into an alleyway. On one side of the alley was the stone tower in the center of the village. On the other was a half demolished house. A loud screech alerted us that the dragon was nearby and we crouched down. The large leathery wings blacked out the sun as the creature landed in front of us. By some sheer act of fate, it wasn't facing us. It was facing the opposite direction and breathing flames on the poor guardsmen. When it flew away, we continued on through another dilapidated house.

I could hear the woman from the block screaming orders to her men as arrows flew through the air and bounced off the flying beast. It took me a minute but eventually I found where she was. She was standing in the open courtyard with archers and guards all around her.

"Maybe we should go over there with her," I suggested. "She seems to have a handle on the situation."

Almost on cue, the dragon swooped down and scorched the entire group of guards, the woman included. The screams of their pain was almost more horrifying than the dragon himself. Thankfully (if that's the appropriate word), the screams were short.

"Prisoner! Hey, prisoner. Over here!" I heard Ralof shout as he ran towards us. "You traded me in already?" He asked sarcastically as he looked at the guard I had been traveling with.

"Don't think this is over, Ralof," the guard said snidely. "At the end of the day, you're just another monster like that dragon."

Before Ralof could retort, I intervened. "Guys! How about we concentrate on the actual monster circling ahead killing everyone?"

"Good plan," the guard said. "Come with me. I'll take you through the barracks and out the back exit of the village."

"Screw that," Ralof said. "Let's go through this tower here and down through the caves."

"You do what you want, Ralof. I'm going through the safe way." The guard left us and ran towards the barracks.

"It's up to you, buddy," Ralof said. "Me or him?"

I didn't need to think about it for a second.

"If you know where you're going, then I'm going with you. That guy just looked at me like I was going to knife him in the back the first chance I got. Lead the way."

Ralof ran towards the tower with me hot on his heels. When we got to the large wooden doors, we flung them open and ran inside. Once inside, we slammed the doors shut and took a look at the surroundings. This place looked a lot like the last tower we were in except the stair here led down, not up.

"Come on," Ralof said. "We've got to keep moving."

"How do you know where you're going?" I asked.

"I used to be a guard here," he responded. "That was before I joined the rebellion. I know this place inside and out. You were smart to come with me. I found a secret path that leads through a cave out to the open."

We ran down the stairs, through a doorway and into a hallway. We were at one end of the hall and a few guards were at the other end. One of them turned and saw us. Before he could say anything, however, there was a loud rumbling sound and the ceiling in between us collapsed, sealing us off from them. _Okay, there has to be someone looking out for us_, I thought. _First, I don't get my head cut off. Then the dragon just completely ignores me and that guard. And now the whole damn ceiling collapsed just before we were captured_.

"That was lucky, huh?" Ralof said. "Let's keep moving though." We exited the hallway and went down some more stairs. These stairs led to a room.

"Shh!" Ralof hushed. "I think I hear some voices."

I listened intently until I heard what Ralof was referring to. There were some men in the room at the bottom of the stairs discussing what they were going to do next.

"Maybe we should just stay here. I mean, this place is safe enough, right?"

"And what do we do when we need food? Huh? Eat each other? I don't know about you but I want to be as little eaten as possible when I die."

Ralof tapped my shoulder and drew his blade. It glinted silver in the torchlight. He motioned for me to follow him into the room. I drew my axe and crouched behind him. We silently made our way down the stairs as the men in the room continued their conversation. The men were standing on the far side of the room, facing down a hallway. They were both wearing armor and had swords strapped to their belts and bows and arrows on their backs. I looked to Ralof for instructions. He motioned to the nearest man and then to me. The cutting motion he made on his throat made it clear what needed to be done.

I began to get nervous. _I've never killed a man before_, I thought. _Or... maybe I have. I don't know._ Ralof made a "hurry up" motion with his hands and I began to slowly make my way towards the guards. They were still arguing about what they should do next as I was drawing nearer.

"Let's just turn back. Then we can make our way up the tower and see if the city is safe."

"Fine. We'll just head back then."

Before I could even react, the men turned around and saw Ralof and I. Natural instincts kicked in and I charged with my axe. I swung down at the first guard, denting his helmet and knocking him to the ground. I swung up at the other man. The blade made a deep gash in his cheek. The first guard's helmet had fallen off and he was trying to stand up. Without hesitation, I swung downward, severing his head from his body. I turned to finish off the second guard. He had already gotten up and, seeing his friend's head on the ground, turned and ran down the hallway and out of sight. I took a moment to reflect on what I had just done. With just three swings of an axe, I had beheaded a man and caused another to flee in terror. _Maybe I am a murderer._

Ralof ran over to me. "That was amazing! I don't know how you did that! These weapons are poor by most standards but you just-wow!" I, however, was not as excited. To be honest, I was scared. I didn't know what I had done with this life. I had no idea how I learned to use an axe or how I took to killing so mercilessly. Was I a bad person? A killer? Or was I a hero? A warrior or soldier?

As I pondered these possibilities, Ralof was looting the corpse. He took a handful of gold and the arrows and bow off the corpse's back. He was just about to pocket the loot when he paused. "This technically belongs to you, my friend. You scored the kill, therefore you get the earnings." I was still in too much shock to respond so I pocketed the gold and slung the arrows across my back in silence. "Do you know how to use a bow and arrow?"

"Up until two minutes ago, I wasn't sure if I knew how to use an axe. I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Ralof chuckled. We began to walk down the hallway the guard had just disappeared down. I still wasn't convinced Ralof knew where he was going but I would never have made it this far without him so I figured I should trust him. We turned right at the end of the hall and found ourselves in a large cavern. There was a bridge connecting the two sides of the cave that stretched over a rushing waterfall. On the bridge was a guard who appeared to be very much on alert. On the far side of the cave was two more guards, each with bows drawn and arrows nocked. The scared guard must have already ran through here and warned them. Ralof and I quickly pinned ourselves against the stony wall.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. He looked across the chasm and his eyes lit up. "Time to figure out if you're a good archer or not. Do you see that light up there?"

I looked to where he was pointing. On the other side of the cave, directly above the two archers, was a pot that held a large candle and some oil to keep it burning held onto the ceiling by a small metal chain.

I nodded.

"When I give you the signal, shoot the chain that's holding it up. Got it?"

I nodded again as I drew my bow and an arrow from the quiver. Ralof braced himself. He was taking quick, short breaths. He drew his sword and charged the first guard. Despite being on alert, the guard's shock betrayed him and Ralof dealt with him easily. Throwing the guard off the bridge, Ralof continued to make his way across the bridge. The archers were firing their iron arrows at him and I had no idea how they were missing him. He had the quickness and agility of a cat and dodged every arrow they shot. Once on the other side, he dropped to the ground and slid across the floor. At first, I thought he had been hit but then he sprang up and kicked over a nearby barrel, spilling liquid all over the floor.

"Now!"

I drew the bow back. I knew I had no time to aim so I made my best judgement and fired the arrow. Thankfully for Ralof, the arrow found its target and broke the chain, spilling the candle. I was confused as to why Ralof had asked me to do that, seeing as neither of the guards was hit by the falling pot. Then it all became clear. The liquid Ralof had spilled on the ground was extra oil that was supposed to be used to fuel the candle pot. The candle fell onto the oil and instantly ignited it. Ralof rolled off to the side and out of the oil before the fire could reach him. The archers, however, were not so lucky. The flames engulfed them and quickly finished them off. I ran over to Ralof, careful to avoid the flames, and crouched beside him. The fire quickly burned through the oil and died down enough for us to make our way across the ground safely. We exited the cave through a small hallway and entered a larger cave. This one appeared to be a series of tunnels. Hopefully, this was the way out Ralof had been talking about.

"Make sure to keep your eyes open for that guard," Ralof said. "He wasn't with those guys so he must have made it through here."

We came to the edge of a high wall. It was a part of the rocky cave so there were plenty of footholds. We began to make our way down the wall, carefully avoiding the loose rocks. Once at the bottom, Ralof paused.

"Let's see. If I remember correctly, we go down to the left and then through a narrow passage. After that, I'll know more. It's been years since I've been down here." Ralof led the way down the dank tunnel. After a few hundred yards, we found the narrow passage he mentioned.

"I'll go first, just in case," he said as he drew his sword. The passage didn't look big enough to hold a small child, let alone two grown men. But somehow, Ralof fit himself comfortably in and slowly made his way down. Once he got about halfway, he turned back and motioned me to follow. I tentatively began to wedge myself in the passage. Somehow, I, too, fit comfortably in the crevice and followed Ralof with ease.

The crevice wasn't too long and we made it through within a matter of minutes. On the other side was a small river that led farther down into the cave.

"Well, that's not a good sign," Ralof sighed. On the cold stone ground next to the running water was a pile of bones; obviously human by the look of the skull. Ralof knelt down to inspect it. "Okay, that's _really_ not a good sign," he said after a couple minutes.

"What is it?" I asked, worriedly. The last thing we needed was a creature in the cave.

Ralof stood. "Spiders."

_Spiders? _I thought. _That's not too bad. Just a few bugs._

Ralof, however, seemed scared. Almost as scared as when he saw the giant dragon. _That_ is what worried me.

"Let's just keep going," Ralof said as he looked around nervously.

As soon as we entered the next cavern, I realized what had made Ralof so uneasy about the spiders. No more than twenty feet from the skeletal remains was a large nest. When I say "large", I mean a cave about the size of a small house. When I say "nest", I mean it was piled high with throbbing white egg sacs in all corners. These weren't just tiny little arachnids. These were giant deadly eight-legged nightmares.

No sooner had we entered the cavern then one of the spiders appeared. It was about twice the size of a full grown dog and about as hairy as one. It was as if Ralof and I had been shrunken down to the size of candlesticks when it faced us.

"Time to figure out just how powerful you are, buddy," Ralof said, sheathing his weapon.

My eyes widened with shock and fear. "What are you doing?! Who knows how many of these things there are?! I can't do this by myself."

"You're about to," he said, backing up. "You might want to act quickly. They spit poison too."

I spun around as quickly as I could and ducked as a blob of green goo sailed over my head. It hit the cave wall and started sizzling. I drew my axe and charged. One swing lobbed off two legs and the next imbedded itself in the spider's head. I was feeling pretty proud until two more spiders dropped from the ceiling. They were far enough away that I had time to draw my bow and take care of one of them from a distance. I had to duck as another blob of poison soared by, hitting the wall next to Ralof who could not look more bored as he leaned against the stone.

The spiders were terrifying to look at but, thankfully, not very fast. I had enough time to pick up my axe and line up my swing before it reached me. Soon, the ground was covered in spider guts and brains. The room was silent for several seconds. I turned towards Ralof and glared.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again," I sneered.

Ralof laughed. "Hey, you won, right? Now, let's get go-"

I large thud behind me combined with Ralof's wide eyes sent a chill up my spine. Maybe I hadn't won yet. Before I could react, Ralof tackled me to the ground. This time it wasn't poison that flew through the air. The poison was a pale green color and sizzled on impact. This was white and stringy and stuck to the walls where it hit. It didn't take a genius to compare it to the white material hanging all around the egg sacs. Webbing.

Ralof rolled off me and hid behind a large pillar of stone covered in the webbing. I stood as quickly as I could but didn't get a chance to do much else. A second glob of webbing slammed into my chest, knocking me to the ground and sending my axe flying into a pile of eggs. After my vision cleared, I saw the culprit. It was a spider, alright. I no longer felt the size of a candlestick, looking at an ordinary spider. Those roles had been reversed. This was the mother of all spiders (literally) and she was not happy that I had killed her family.

As soon as I had registered what was happening, the mother was upon me. All I could do was scramble to the cavern wall and lean against it. The mother reared up on her back legs and roared. I never knew spiders could roar but I know now it was something I could have lived without ever hearing.

Now on all eight limbs, the mother was about a foot away from my face, salivating from her fangs. I heard Ralof yell a battle cry and looked up in time to see another two smaller spiders drop down and land on top of him. My last hope for help was pinned underneath the hairy torsos of giant arachnids. Whoever decided to wake me up in that carriage certainly had the worst sense of humor if he wanted me to die like this. Rage built up inside of me. Why _had_ I been brought here? To die at the claws of these eight-legged freaks? Over my dead body.

I balled up a fist and punched that monster straight in the face. She was as taken aback by the attack as I was. It was as if I was trapped inside my own mind, watching through my eyes like they were windows as some unnatural force guided my body. My palm began to burn hot, but there was no pain. I looked down and saw embers sparking out from my still clenched fist. The heat grew more intense but there was still no pain. I faced the mother and extended my arm, opening my hand.

A stream of flames shot forth from my palm and struck the mother square in the face. She shrieked a shriek as bloodcurdling as her roar. She began to back up but I stepped forward, urging the flames to burn harder. The smell of burned flesh filled the air as the creature crumpled onto the ground. I willed the flames to die down and they obeyed. Ralof rose from the ground and walked over to me. The two spiders that had attacked him lay dead on the ground with multiple stab wounds in each.

"That was…I mean...by the gods, what in Oblivion possessed you?" Ralof gasped, as stunned as I was at what had just happened.

I was speechless. I looked at my previously flaming hand. No burn marks. No blisters. It wasn't even red. There was no trace of the flames that had just saved my life.

"What did I just do?" I finally forced myself to ask.

"You just used a spell, my friend. It's not uncommon in these lands but it's usually the sign of a pretty powerful individual. That was a pretty basic one though."

_Basic?!, _I thought. _I just shot fire out of my goddamn hand and here's this guy telling me I'm basic._

Ralof chuckled. "I have a feeling you're gonna have a lot of moments like these throughout the course of your life."

I wish I knew how to summon the flames back because, if I could, I would have lit Ralof's joking pants on fire and laughed as he ran around the nest with flames shooting out of his ass. Thankfully for him and his ass, it seemed like I was out of whatever energy had caused me to summon the spell in the first place.

"Well, Smokey, let's get going. I think we're almost out."

I gathered my axe, picking off cobwebs as Ralof led me through the exit of the webbed cavern. The river flowed through here as well. The cool breeze told me we were near the surface. I took a quick look around the new cave. I was not about to be ambushed by anymore giant creatures again. The only other thing in the cave was a large sleeping bear in the sunlit corner of the cavern. Ralof pulled on my shirt as he knelt to the ground.

"Careful," he whispered. "Those spiders were nothing compared to the beasts of Skyrim. Especially the bears. It's best to just sneak our way around him."

I followed his instructions and we carefully and quietly made our way around the sleeping bear, using the rocks in the river as stepping stones. This endeavor, surprisingly, went according to plan and the bear continued his slumber as we made our way up the narrow winding passage to the exit of the cave. The white light outside the cave was nearly blinding but was a welcome sight, nonetheless.

19


	2. Before The Storm

Chapter Two: Before The Storm

Ralof and I emerged from the cave and into the sunlight. We were surrounded by trees and snow. It was clear we were on a mountainside somewhere in the midst of a giant forest. If not for the smoldering wreckage of the village behind us, the scene would have been peaceful and serene. A familiar roar shook me from my trance.

"Get down," Ralof ordered. I quickly took cover behind a nearby rock as Ralof did the same. The dragon flew over our heads, a good mile in the air, and let out another blood curdling roar before flying off into the distance.

"Alright," Ralof sighed. "It's safe to get up now." We both rose and looked at the path in front of us. One road led to the right and down the mountain. The other road led to the left and seemed to go further up. "Unless you want to come with me to Riverwood, this is where we part ways. Although, I urge you to accompany me. Together, we make quite a team. You'd be very useful in the rebellion."

"I don't care about your rebellion," I snapped. "I just want to figure out who I am and why I was brought here." Ralof looked taken aback at my sudden anger. He nodded and hung his head as he turned and began walking down the road to the right. "But you do have a point."

He stopped and stared at me.

"We do make quite a team. And I could use some help in these lands."

Ralof smiled a cocky smile. "Then come along. Riverwood is only a couple miles from here. My family lives there. I need to make sure they're alright." He turned and began jogging down the path again. I followed close behind.

"I really appreciate you coming with me," Ralof said. "I wouldn't have made it out by myself. You should really think about joining the rebellion. We could use someone like you. You've got a lot of great gifts. You should use them."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Ralof was right. I didn't know how I got these skills or why I have them. But I should at least learn how to use them if I plan to survive out here.

"You're right," I said a few moments later. "But I still don't want to be a part of this war. I don't know nearly enough about it to make an informed choice."

Ralof nodded. "I see your point. If you decide to change your mind, head on up to the recruiter's office in Windhelm."

I told him I would think about it.

After several minutes of running, Ralof suddenly stopped.

"Be very quiet," he whispered. "Don't make any sudden moves."

I froze and saw him staring off into the woods. I slowly turned my head to see where he was looking. On top of some rocks further up the hill was a large black wolf and one larger brown one. Each had their fangs bared. I heard the tiny sound of metal on metal as Ralof quietly unsheathed his sword. I carefully unhooked my axe from my hip. The wolves seemed to be just sniffing around and probably would have lost interest and left, that is, until a small bird flew by and chirped loudly. It had been so silent that the loud chirp startled Ralof, causing him to drop his blade. The sword hit the ground and clanged. The wolves turned toward us and charged.

Forest wolves were nothing compared to cave spiders. A few well-placed swings and Ralof and I dealt with them within minutes. The only problem was that one of the wolves bit Ralof's arm. I was so distracted helping Ralof back up that I didn't see the wolf disappear into the woods. Thankfully, it wasn't a deep bite but it was enough to cause him to stop and rest.

"Want a rag?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ralof laughed as he rolled his eyes, "a dirty rag should fix this."

I tore the corner off my ragged shirt and made a makeshift bandage for him. It wouldn't last long but we were only about ten minutes from Riverwood by Ralof's estimate. I helped him to his feet and we went on our way.

The rest of the trip went in silence as Ralof cradled his bloody arm and I ran through the possibilities of who or what brought me to the carriage just in time for the dragon. Was it a god? Goddess? _Human?_ Or something else? One thing was for sure: I was going to find out. And Riverwood was as good a place as any to start.

"There it is," Ralof said as he pointed to two wooden towers on either side of a gate. The village appeared to be small. Much smaller than the village we had just came from. And much less on fire. As we got closer, I noticed there was just one road through the center. We entered through the gates. A guard nodded a greeting to Ralof but looked at me with a wary eye.

On either side of the street were wooden buildings. The first being on the right. It was a small house, by the looks of it. A woman stood on the porch, pointing at the sky. She was screaming, "Dragon! I saw a dragon!" but the guards paid no attention. I guess she was the town crazy. Unfortunately, that meant no one believed her.

Next to that house was a two story trading post that also appeared to be a house. The owner must live upstairs.

On the other side of the road was a large house with a blacksmith's forge connected to it. An old man was hammering some metal on a nearby table. The house was lined with racks of swords and axes. It seemed he had a full functioning forge, complete with a tanning wall and grindstone.

The house was on the edge of a large flowing river. On the other side of the river was a lumber mill. A small group of people gathered on the side of the mill cutting wood and chatting.

Further down the street was another small building. A bar by the looks of it. Upon further inspection, there was a second road next to the bar that must have led to a different part of town since children were running up it. A scruffy looking dog followed them.

"This way."

I followed Ralof across the small bridge and towards the lumber mill. The group of people chopping wood looked up when they heard us coming.

"Ralof!" I heard one of the women yell.

"Sis!" Ralof yelled back with glee.

She ran forward and into his arms. He laughed, ignoring the pain in his arm, and hugged her back, swinging her in a circle as he did so. As soon as he released her, however, she slapped him across the face.

"Where in Oblivion have you been? Mother has been worried sick about you! We heard Ulfric had been captured and some of his men killed. Was that you?"

"Do I look dead?"

She slapped him again.

"Ow! No! I am not dead! A few of his other guards are though."

"What happened to your arm, brother?" She finally noticed the now red bandage on his forearm.

"We just ran into some...wolves." There was something in his voice. Something that seemed hesitant about saying 'wolves.'

Her face fell and her eyes went dark. She pulled her gaze away from Ralof's and finally saw me.

"Who's this? A friend?"

Ralof looked at me for a long while. "You could say that. I met him in Helgen, at the executioner's block."

Yet another slap to the face.

"Dammit, Gerdur, stop slapping me!"

"The executioner's block?! Are you two escaped convicts now?!"

Ralof sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Not exactly. There were...complications."

Gerdur took a step back. "What type of complications?"

Ralof looked away from her and silently went over to the rest of the group. Gerdur's eyes followed him for a moment before turning to me.

"Sorry, but, who the hell are you?" She sneered.

"Ma'am, I've been asking myself that same question all day long."

She scoffed and went over to where Ralof was standing. He was having a conversation with an older woman. It looked like he was trying to calm her down. Since Gerdur was his sister, I assumed this to be his mother. I followed Gerdur over to Ralof.

"I'm telling you, mother. I'm alright. Yes, there was a dragon. No, it did not hurt me. It came pretty close though."

"I told you!" A woman to his right exclaimed. "I told you I saw a dragon!"

"That's ridiculous, Sven," Ralof's mother replied. "There hasn't been a dragon in Skyrim for 800 years. Maybe it was just a large bat or something." Her words sounded confident but her voice shook like someone who wasn't too sure.

"It wasn't a bat, mother," Ralof said, quite exasperated with his elderly mother's ignorance. "Bats do not breathe fire or break down towers."

"Maybe not _all _bats but I remember one summer when our chimney caved in because a flock of bats got-"

"Hilde!"

His mother (Hilde, apparently) stopped her story and sat down.

"I still don't-I mean-a dragon…"

"I couldn't believe it either, mother," Ralof said, finally relieved that his mother had given in. "But it's true. A true, flesh and blood, fire breathing, flying lizard attacked Helgen and burned it to the ground. Me and...uhh...this guy I met survived and made our way here."

He then turned to me.

"Speaking of you, what should we call you? I mean, we can't just call you Prisoner the whole time. Do you have any idea what your name could be? Or at least have an idea for one?"

I thought about that for a long while. It's not everyday you choose what you want everyone in the world to know you by. It was a big responsibility. Thankfully, Ralof took over.

"How about Molag?"

The confused looks from me, his sisters, and his mother caused him to catch himself.

"It means 'fire' in Dunmeri. Even though it's a Dark Elf language and you're a Wood Elf, I figured it's fitting."

Yet another shock to my system. I brought my hand up to my ears. Yup. Pointed. This would also explained why I'm so quick. And why I'm good with a bow. One question remained: How do I know so much about elves and the world around me when I literally cannot even remember my own damn name? Do I maybe still have _some_ of my memories left over? I shook myself out of my own thoughts long enough to respond to Ralof.

"Uhh..Molag? Yeah...fire…sounds...good. Thanks."

Ralof sensed my discomfort and quickly changed the subject.

"Perfect. Mother, sisters, this is Molag, the elf who saved my ass in Helgen."

The women nodded their thanks.

"Well, I guess all that's left to do is prepare," Sven said bluntly.

Hilde looked up. "Prepare for what?"

Sven picked up a few pieces of wood in her arms. "There's no way that the dragon that attacked Helgen was the only one. Helgen was more defended than Riverwood is. We would be ashes before we even knew what was happening. We need soldiers."

She turned towards Ralof and I.

"Can you guys go up to Whiterun and please ask the Jarl for more soldiers? We're sitting ducks until we get some defense."

Ralof shoved her out of the way and took a seat on the chopping block, which I found ironic. He escaped one chopping block only to sit on another.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get this bite checked out. An infection is the last thing I need. Send Molag."

It took me a second to realize who he was talking about.

"Me? But I don't know my way around here. Or...maybe I do...I don't know. Either way, I don't want to go alone!"

"You'll be fine!" Ralof groaned. "I need a doctor and you need to shut up and do what Sven asks." He stood and walked away. Gerdur followed.

Ralof turned back and shouted, "If you have any trouble with him, tell him Gerdur sent you. Trust me. She's well known enough to have some leverage with him." He continued on his way.

Sven came up and touched my arm sympathetically. "Don't worry about Ralof. He's just under a lot of stress. I mean, we all are. But last year our dad was killed. Ralof took it really hard. I think it's what drove him to join the rebellion."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said. Sven nodded. "If I may ask, how did your father die? War?"

"Not exactly," she responded. "Let's just say that there's a reason Ralof is so stressed about that incident with the wolves…"

It didn't take a genius to figure out what she meant by that. I decided not to press the issue further and quickly changed the topic.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and asked, "So...how exactly am I supposed to get to Whiterun?"

Sven felt as uncomfortable as I was and turned away. She began walking towards the main road, across the wooden bridge. Once in the middle of the street, she turned back towards me. "Head down this road," she said, pointed the opposite direction from where Ralof and I had come in. "There's a stone bridge that leads across the river. Head up the mountain trail but watch out. It runs right through a bandit's nest."

"Bandits? How many?" I asked.

"Too many to be safe but not enough to be dangerous."

_What?_

"Anyways," Sven continued. "After the bandit's nest, just keep following the trail. Do _not, _I repeat, do _not_ leave the trail for any reason whatsoever. These lands are not safe for someone who is still getting used to them. Look at Ralof. He's lived his entire life here and he got attacked a mile away. If you thought wolves were bad, you don't want to see what else these mountains have to offer."

That thought frightened me. She couldn't be talking about dragons (since apparently dragons were as new to this area as I was) so what other nightmarish creatures are out there?

"Once you follow the trail down the hill, you should be able to see Whiterun. It's a pretty big Hold so it shouldn't be too hard to get to."

Thoughts of wolves and dragons (and even dragonwolves, if you can imagine) were still swirling around my head but I managed to nod my acknowledgment.

"Alright," Sven sighed. "Then you best be on your way. Be careful."

"I'll try my best," I responded, rather nervously. I made sure my gear was in its proper place, nodded my thanks to Sven, and proceeded down the cobblestone road through Riverwood.

The people of the town seemed friendly enough but they all gave me very peculiar glances as I strode by. I guess strangers weren't common in Riverwood. Either that, or word had spread about my memory loss and I was the new town freak. I prefer to think of it as the former.

Just as Sven had said, there was a stone bridge leading to the base of the mountain. It wasn't the same mountain I had just came down off of but it appeared to be of the same range. After crossing the bridge, I saw the dirt path Sven had talked about. It seemed to wind all the way up the mountain and was much steeper than I had hoped. I adjusted my axe and began my ascent.

Things didn't take long to go exactly as I had expected. Two large black wolves stood just before the path took a turn to the left. I drew my axe and charged. A couple of dogs weren't going to stand in my way of getting the help Riverwood needs. It was hard to describe. I wanted so desperately to help these people who I had never even met. Maybe it was because they had taken me in. Maybe it was because they had given me a name. Or maybe it was just in my nature. But I needed to help them.

After a few quick swings, there were two dead wolves and one very pumped up me. Even in the dungeon with Ralof, I had never felt so alive. Maybe it was because I was on my own. I had just won a fight all by myself, with no outside help. The energy rushing through me was enough to make me run up the hill the rest of the way, despite my heavy gear.

At the top of the hill, however, was a tall black building made of stone. There were two people standing out front with swords on their hips. This must be the bandit's nest Sven mentioned.

I ducked behind a nearby rock and assessed the situation. The closer I looked at the building, the more bandits I saw. There were the two guards out front, of course, and, peering over the rock, I noticed another bandit in a window near the top of the tower. There were two bandits at the very top of the tower, as well. That made five armed bandits, plus, undoubtedly, more inside. My adrenaline from the wolf fight was dwindling away but it was still prominent enough to make me want to charge in head-first.

Thankfully, the logical side of my brain won over the side that would have gotten me killed. I decided the best course of action would be to take out as many bandits as possible with my bow and arrow before dealing with the rest.

I drew the bow and nocked an arrow. I only had five so every shot had to count. I waited until one of the guards went inside. In one swift motion, I stood and fired an arrow at the remaining guard. The arrow struck her in the neck, stopping her from calling for help. In a feat of luck, the arrow struck hard enough to knock her off her post and tumble underneath a small stone bridge that crossed a narrow crevice in front of the nest. That should prevent the other guard from seeing her body.

As soon as the body disappeared, the other guard reappeared. Another well placed arrow took him out. Unfortunately, he didn't fall in the same place as his companion, leaving his body totally visible. After making sure the coast was clear, I crouched down and moved swiftly over to another boulder; one that was closer to the nest.

That is when all hell broke loose.

As I was deciding what to do next, I heard a shout from the tower. "Wal! Can you hear me?! What happ- bloody hell, he's got an arrow in his neck. All hands to battle!"

I heard cries and shouts from the nest. Swords were drawn. Bows were nocked. Feet were in motion. Another battle had begun. It was me against a whole clan of bandits. And I had three arrows left.

I nocked one of my remaining arrows into place. I need to time this perfectly. As soon as I heard the sound of footsteps on the bridge, I stood up and turned towards them. My arrow took down one of the three bandits on the bridge but, before I could nock another one, the two remaining men turned towards me.

"There he is!" One yelled as they both charged towards me. I drew my axe and stood my ground. The first bandit raised his sword, ready to attack. A quick blow of my axe to his gut stopped his attack. Instincts kicked in and I spun around to deal with the next bandit. My axe seemed to have a mind of its own as it sent the next bandit's head flying away. My adrenaline was pumping again, twice as hard as when I had killed the wolves. It took all my willpower to not scream at the top of my lungs at the amount of energy flowing through me. I decided to focus that energy on the problem at hand and charged across the bridge.

The inside of the building was much smaller than I had imagined, with only one window on the opposite wall and a staircase leading up to the tower. On the staircase was another guard. He looked like the one I had seen in the window. He yelled and charged at me. I didn't even need to swing my axe. He tripped on a small bag that had been sitting on the steps and fell down the rest of the stairs. I stepped out of the way to let him through and watched as he crashed against a table, knocking a jug of mead off in the process. He was out cold before the first drop of mead spilled onto his makeshift armor.

Stifling my laughter, I made my way up the stairs and onto the next level. Two more bandits awaited me. I had already used my bow and sword so I decided to give my third attribute a try. I raised my palm towards them and tried to summon the same energy I had used in the cave. When that didn't work, I tried just thinking about the flames and picturing them bursting from my hand. That didn't work either. At this point, both bandits were upon me and I didn't have any choice but to fight.

I ducked underneath their swings and retreated to the other side of the room.

_Come on_, I thought. _You've got this._

I thought about how I felt in the cave. I was angry and scared. Mainly angry. Right now, I was angry that I couldn't get these damn flames to work.

Well, apparently, anger is the key because the same painless white-hot burn sparked in my clenched fist. I thrusted my arm forward and opened my hand. Immediately, the flames shot forth as if my arm were a dragon.

The flames struck one bandit, who then staggered back against the wall, screaming as the fire engulfed him. The second bandit screamed almost as loud as her friend and dropped her sword. She stared at me and I stared back. My flaming palm died down a little but didn't stop completely. The sound of the dead bandit's scream echoed in my ears. The smell of smoke and...well…roasted bandit filled the air.

The stare down between myself and the surviving bandit was becoming more intense. Her eyes had changed from wide and fearful to narrow and determined. Determined to do what? Presumably, end my life as I had ended the lives of her friends.

"You know something I realized in my travels?" She asked. Her voice was surprisingly sweet and soft. I had expected it to be gruff and cruel. "I realized this after I found a letter to the wife of a man I had just killed. It had said she couldn't wait for him to be home because she had special news for him. Every person you or I kill has a life. They aren't just characters in a book. Or players on a board game. They are people. They have memories...loved ones...lives. These people you just slaughtered? They had childhoods. They had first kisses. First loves. They had mothers and fathers. Maybe a sibling or two. These are sons and daughters that will never return to their mothers and fathers. Think back to your childhood. How worried your parents were when you got even the tiniest scratch after falling down. Well, thanks to you, their parents never have to worry again."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had never considered that. Everyone and everything I killed in my short time here at a family at some point. They had friends and loved ones. But now...those friends and loved ones will be left with a void in their lives. A void I had made without even thinking. Even though I couldn't remember anything about my childhood, I knew I had had one. And so had they.

"I...uhh...don't have any memories. They were taken from me…"

She sighed. "Then you can't begin to understand what I am talking about. Let me put it a different way: we didn't attack you. You attacked us. And why?" The bandit continued, tears welling in her eyes. "Because we rob people? We don't kill them. I used to. But I realized what I had been doing. I became a bandit because we don't kill. Unless we get assaulted but that is only self-defense. So why did you kill us? Why did you murder my brothers and sisters?"

I had no answer. The flames in my palm extinguished, along with all plans to kill this woman.

"You might as well just kill me too. Because I loved each and every one of those men and women because they _were_ my family. But now, they're gone. So just get it over with." The woman was full-on crying at this point, and I was pretty close myself.

I rose to my feet and walked towards her. I locked eyes with her.

"No."

I walked around her and up to the top of the tower. There were no guards up here, thankfully. The bandit's word rang true to me. I don't think I had it in me to kill another human today. There was, however, a large wooden chest. I knelt down and opened it. Inside...were three gold pieces.

"Happy?" It was the woman's voice. "You murdered a family….for three gold pieces." I didn't turn around to face her. I heard her footsteps retreat and go back downstairs. It took several minutes for me to gain the strength to get back up and walk back down to the ground.

Just down the stairs, where the one bandit had slipped and fell, stood the woman, waiting. She had dragged the burnt body down stairs and laid it outside. The other bandit was still unconscious but was slowly coming to.

"You want to leave," the woman said quietly. "He's not as nice as I am."

I decided to listen to her.

After crossing the bridge and walking a little ways away, the woman yelled after me, "Hey!"

I turned back towards her and looked to where she was standing.

"I'm Eirrac. Remember that name because you will hear it again. You may not have any memories. But I do. And I will never forget this. When you least expect it, I will be there to make sure you know exactly how I feel."

A chill went up my spine.

"You should have killed me."

Eirrac disappeared into the nest and didn't come back out.

I turned away from the building and continued walking.

I walked the next few miles in a daze. The conversation between Eirrac and I played continuously in my head. Her words stabbed like a knife to my heart. I wasn't killing bandits back there. I was killing sons and daughters. The very thought was enough to make me want to throw myself off the mountain. But I couldn't do it. Riverwood needed me to get to Whiterun and talk to the Jarl. And I was in no mood to cause any more casualties today.

I shook all dark thoughts from my head and concentrated solely on the path I was walking on. Soon, I realized why Sven had told me not to divert from the path. At the foot of the mountain was a large clearing. There were several boulders in the center and a fire pit that was too big to have been built by human hands. On the far side of the clearing were furry, elephant-type creatures with large white husks.

_Mammoths_, my brain told me.

But the mammoths weren't the biggest threat in the clearing. There were also giants. Yeah, that's right. Giants. Big, huge, club-wielding giants. They looked about thirty feet tall and wore only a loincloth (I shuddered to think of what its material could be) and makeshift sandals that appeared to be made of wood. The good news was that the giants were so busy roasting something over the fire to notice me. Although it was a miracle the smell of my sweat didn't give me away.

I moved quickly and quietly down the path, using the cover of trees and boulders to keep hidden. It wasn't as difficult as I had expected to get around the behemoths. At least one thing went according to plan today.

Just as Sven had said, Whiterun soon became visible in the distance. It looked huge, even from this distance. It was still a few miles away though.

As I continued my journey, I saw several farms dot the surrounding area, as well as what appeared to be factory. As I got closer, I saw a sign that said Honeybrew Meadery on the factory. I was beginning to like Whiterun more and more.

I finally reached the stone walls about an hour later. The sun was beginning to set by now so I picked up the pace and jogged my way up the path to the city.

A few minutes later, I was at the gates. The gates were large and wooden. As if they were meant to hold a dragon instead of a city. A guard stood out front.

"You there! Stop!" He yelled to me as if he had just caught me stealing something. "You can't get into the city. I'm sorry but you'll have to turn back."

Puzzled, I responded, "Would you like to tell me why?"

"Dragons," he retorted. "There's been reports of dragon nearby so we aren't allowing anyone to enter."

"But...I'm not a dragon."

He seemed flustered by my answer. "...Just turn back."

"Look," I said bluntly, "I'm here _about_ the dragon attack. Riverwood needs more defenses and I was entrusted with the task of asking the Jarl to send them. So step aside so I can see him or I'll just find a different way in."

In all honesty, I had no idea what I was saying. There probably wasn't another way in and the walls were too high to climb. So unless I could fly (which, for all I know, could very well be possible), I was bluffing.

It seemed to work on the guard though.

"Fine. But if you cause any sort of trouble in my city, you'll have a sword so far down your throat that you'll be shitting knives."

As I tried hard not to picture/understand that, he opened the gates and I entered the city.

It was even larger on the inside. Houses and shops lined the roads. There was a blacksmith's shop to the right and an Inn straight in front of me. I would love to go into detail about what Whiterun looked like, but I could barely believe it myself. It was massive! The more I walked through the streets the more I found. The city appeared to have three tiers. The first tier was the marketplace. The second was the main residential section. And the third was nothing more than a huge castle atop a series of steps. My guess was that I would find the Jarl in the highest and most extravagant building in the city so that is where I made my way to.

Passing the houses and shops made me feel like I was an intruder. All the people who lived here were just going about their daily lives and I was just the stranger that came in to bring bad news and disrupt it all. The looks they gave me were significantly more friendly than in Riverwood, however, so for that I was grateful.

After about an hour of wandering aimlessly, I finally found a small park-like area, complete with a fountain and small pond, that connected to a set of stone stairs that led up to the castle. The stairs seemed to go on forever. But maybe it was just because every guard lining the staircase and guarding the castle had their eyes trained on me and their hands on their swords.

Up close, the castle seemed about as big as the city itself. The entryway was lined with columns and covered in a roof of stone. There were about four guards up here. Two at the top of the stairs and two at the doors leading into the castle. The doors to the castle seemed even bigger than the ones into the city, if that was possible. They were wooden also, but it seemed to be a stronger type of wood. It made sense that the Jarl would live here. The place was a fortress within a fortress. The fact that it was hundreds of feet above the city didn't exactly make it ideal for a dragon attack though.

The guards stopped me at the doors and I gave them the same story I gave at the city gates. Again, it seemed to go off without a hitch. Either the guards here in Whiterun were really stupid or I was just _that good_ at lying. I preferred the latter.

As the guards opened the door, I was greeted with a beautiful smell. My nose followed it into the castle and my feet went along for the ride. Inside was a small set of stairs that led to a huge dining hall. The tables were bigger than I had ever seen and were piled with food. All kinds of meat and vegetables overflowed from the table. It was enough for the entire population of Riverwood to eat for a week.

The room itself was huge also. It was two stories with a fire-pit in the middle. The fire was roaring loudly but the room seemed at a comfortable temperature. On the far end of the room sat an average sized man on an average sized wooden throne. Next to him, a pale-green woman with red hair stood guard. The man was having a conversation with another, older man. I was too far away to hear what it was about.

As I approached the throne, the green woman drew her sword and ordered me to stop.

I obeyed without question. Her sword looked big enough to cut clean through me.

"It's okay, Irileth," the man in the throne said. "Let him approach. If he was important enough for the guards to let in, he is important enough to merit a meeting."

Irileth sheathed her sword reluctantly.

The Jarl beckoned me forward. "And what is your name, my friend?"

"Malog...no wait...Molag."

The Jarl chuckled. "Well, Molag, I am the Jarl of Whiterun. You may call me Balgruuf. How may I assist you?"

I explained my story as quickly as possible (although it wasn't easy with Irileth eyeing my like she wanted_ me_ served on the dinner table). At the end, Balgruuf sighed.

"It is as I feared," he muttered. "But did you come all this way to inform me of Helgen? Or was there something else you needed?"

I finally remembered why I was actually here.

"Riverwood needs defenses. They don't have nearly enough guards to fight off a dragon."

The Jarl mulled it over. "I'm not sure I can spare the defenses. Especially if what you said is true about Helgen. If the dragon that attacked Helgen was, in fact, how you described him…"

"Gerdur sent me," I blurted. It was worth a shot to try Ralof's idea.

"Gerdur?" Balgruuf's eyes lit up. "She's been a pillar of this community for many years. If she believes that Riverwood is truly in danger, then there is no denying it. Avenicci, send troops to Riverwood immediately."

The older man he had been talking to before (Avenicci), nodded and slinked away.

"Sir," Irileth stuttered, "if that dragon truly is the dragon of the old tales, we will need all of our defenses. We cannot afford to send our guards to defend a small lumber community. We need an army. We need-"

"Irileth, the decision is final," Balgruuf interrupted. "This castle was literally built to contain a dragon. I think we can spare a handful of guards."

Irileth looked like she was about to retort but decided against it. She gave me another evil look and walked away.

"You'll have to excuse her," Balgruuf said to me. "Dark Elves are a notoriously grouchy folk. But if you ever needed someone in a fight, Irileth would be the top choice."

I managed a smile. I expected the Jarl to act different. More like a king and less like a general.

"Well, since you came all this way, I might as well give you something for your journey."

Before I could protest, the Jarl had risen from his chair and disappeared behind a door on the side of the dining hall. He emerged a few moments later holding a pile of armor.

"You look pretty light on your feet so this should work perfectly."

He dropped the pile of armor at my feet. It appeared to be leather wrapped in clothed with metal gauntlets and shoulder pads. There was also a metal helmet (also wrapped in leather) and some boots. Everything appeared to be in great condition.

"I-uhh-th-thank you, sir," I stammered.

Balgruuf chuckled. "You may wish to postpone that thanks, my boy. After you rest up and get some food in your stomach, I have a task I would like to entrust you with. It won't be easy."

After about my third course of turkey, it finally clicked what the Jarl had said to me. I was so blinded by hunger and exhaustion that I hadn't even comprehended that I had just been offered yet another quest not two minutes after I finished my first. I had a feeling I was in for a long week.


	3. Bleak Falls Barrow

Chapter Three: Bleak Falls Barrow

After my feast was finished, Jarl Balgruuf approached me. "Well, Molag, now that you're rested up and ready to go, it is time for you to meet my court wizard Farengar."

Nervously, I rose from the table and followed the Jarl across the hall. We passed through an entranceway and into a much smaller room. The room looked like some sort of workshop but for scholars. There were maps on either side of a long table, as well as on the table itself. The table also held scrolls and potions. A few books with strange symbols on their covers could be found on the table, as well. Standing on the other side of the table was a tall man in a blue hooded robe. He had a pointed face (most of which was masked by the hood) and seemed anxious to meet with us.

"Farengar," the Jarl began, "I believe I have found someone to help with your….dragon project."

Farengar turned to me.

"So you think you can help me, is that it?"

Before I could state that I had no clue what I was helping with, he scoffed.

"Well, I suppose you're as able bodied as the rest of them were."

_Well, this just keeps getting better and better_, I thought to myself.

Farengar sat in his chair and reclined back.

"I need you to fetch something for me," he said dryly.

"What do you need me to find?"

"My boy, it is not a matter of finding it. It is a matter of bringing it _back_." He unrolled a map onto his desk and pointed to a small drawing of a stone. "I need you to find this. It's called a Dragonstone. Legend has it that each Dragonstone holds the location to a Dragon's Nest. Now, my theory is that if we can gather enough Dragonstones, we can destroy the dragons in their nests before they have a chance to rise."

"Makes sense," I said.

"Now, this particular Dragonstone is in Bleak Falls Barrow. It's a few miles north of Riverwood. You can't miss it. It's a huge black temple built right into the mountain side."

"And the stone is inside?"

"Not just inside. Underneath. You will need to follow the caverns down into the mountain and find the crypts. That, however, is the easy part."

Shocker. The quest was about to get complicated.

"Out of the, oh, I don't know, dozen adventurers I have sent down there, only one has come back alive. He said that the caverns were filled with nightmarish creatures. What type of creatures? Well, he wouldn't say. But it is safe to assume that they're dangerous.

_YOU DON'T SAY?!_

"Whatever was down in those tombs drove the man to madness. He threw himself off the castle wall before we could coax a straight answer out of him."

I gulped down my fear.

"Don't you worry though," Farengar said as he stood and walked towards one of his many bookshelves. "I've got something here that should help." After a minute of searching, he pulled an old dusty book from the shelf and handed it to me. On the cover was a lightning bolt and words written in some ancient text. "This is a spell book. Open it up and read it."

I gave Farengar a skeptical look. The book appeared to be several hundred pages long but when I opened it, all the pages were blank. All, except one.

On that one page was a single word.

"Go on then," Farengar insisted.

I took a deep breath and read the word aloud.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light burst forth from the book, nearly blinding me. I could feel energy rushing through me. But this wasn't like the energy I had felt while attacking the bandits. This was new. I dropped the book and backed away. My hand began to tingle. Then, it began to vibrate. Before I knew what was happening, I had extended my arm and opened my palm. Blue streaks of lightning struck the far wall, leaving a scorch mark.

Farengar had ducked under the table after I dropped the book. He came back out after the bolts had disappeared and chuckled.

"You'll need to learn to get control over that! Congratulations, my boy, you've learned a new spell."

"I barely know how to use my last one!" I yelled at him.

"Not to worry. Simply envision the sparks coming from your hand and they will come. Every spell requires a different trigger. It'll take time and patience to learn each spell's preference. Now then," he brushed himself off, "you should be on your way. Here," he handed me the map from the table, "take this. It should help you not get lost. Good luck."

I exited the wizard's room feeling weak, yet powerful. Weak due to the overwhelming situation I was facing. Powerful because I was getting stronger and for the first time, I felt close to understanding who I actually was.

That was enough to motivate me to rush through the dining hall and out the doors. I ran down the stone stairs, nearly knocking a guard off. Maybe it was the lightning but the energy rushing through me at this time was almost comparable to feeling I had at the bandit's nest. It was so intense that I hadn't even realized I was still carrying the armor. I ducked inside a small trading shop and quickly changed, selling my old ratty clothes. They didn't fetch much. Only about five coins worth. But it was good to have some armor on.

The armor fit surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that I wondered if there was some type of magic in it that made it comfortable to whoever was wearing it. It didn't even move around very much as I finished running through town.

Once outside the city gates, I found a man who was willing to take me as close to Bleak Falls Barrow as he could, provided I could pay him.

As panic began to overpower adrenaline, I felt a small jingle of metal in the armor's pocket. I reached inside and, sure enough, the Jarl's armor came with some spending gold.

"How much?" I inquired.

"Eh," the carriage driver shrugged, "Twenty-five Septims?"

_Septims must be their name for the gold coins_, I deduced.

Sure enough, when I pulled the coins from my pocket, I saw that one side had a number (their value, no doubt) and the other had a stamp of a man's face. Underneath the face were the words "Uriel Septim VII."

I sorted through the coins and gave the driver the proper amount.

"Hop in the back, then, and we'll be off."

I did as instructed.

"It will take about four hours to get there so settle in," he informed me.

I adjusted myself so I was sitting comfortably (not that _that_ was possible in the open back of a wooden carriage) and took out my coins again to count.

By the time we reached Bleak Falls Barrow, night was upon us and it was difficult to see. At last count, the Jarl had given me one thousand Septims worth of gold coins (including the carriage fare). _I owe him a fruit basket_, I thought to myself.

I hopped out of the carriage and thanked the driver for the ride. It was so dark that I could barely see my own feet.

"Hey," I said as the carriage driver turned the horses. "It's pretty dark out. It's not too safe to be driving on those trails this late. Why don't you stay here?"

As dark as it was, I could still see the smile of relief on the driver's face.

"Thank you, sir. I hate driving at night. Too many bandits."

He hopped out of the carriage and shook my hand.

"We need to find a place to set up camp for the night," I said. "Let's check over here."

The driver, leading the horses, followed me into the darkness. It didn't take long to find a place to set up camp (especially because I tripped over a fire-pit) so we decided to settle down there. Tents were already set up around the pit but they were empty. That worried me. Where were the owners of the tents? And why weren't they here using them?

"What's the plan for the night?" The driver asked. "It's starting to snow so we're going to need a fire but it's too dark to find wood. And matches. We'll freeze by morning."

An idea sparked in my mind.

"Stand back," I told him. He stepped back a few feet and watched anxiously. I channeled the energy to my palm, just as Farengar told me. A stream of fire shot out and hit the fire-pit. After a few seconds, a roaring fire had begun and the heat was beginning to warm us up. The driver and I sat on opposite ends of the pit and thawed out.

"Smart idea. I wish I could do that," the driver said. "You've gotta be careful with that. Other people may get nervous around you."

"But not you?"

The driver chuckled. "Son, after the things I've seen on these roads, nothing you can do would scare me off."

We both shared a laugh followed by a long sigh as we stared at the fire.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Kaen," he responded. "You're Molag, right?"

I was a bit taken aback. "How did you know that?"

"Are you kidding?" Kaen said. "A Wood Elf comes in shooting magic everywhere? Going on about dragons? Everyone knows your name. Whiterun isn't a small town but it's small enough."

_Wow_, I thought. _I can only remember the last 48 hours of my life and I'm already famous._

"I'm gonna get some sleep. I've got a long drive back tomorrow." Kaen stood up and walked towards one of the tents.

A thought struck my head. How was I going to get back to Whiterun if Kaen leaves in the morning?

"Hey, wait a second," I said. "I'm going to need a ride back after I get out of the temple tomorrow. Think you could stay around?"

Kaen paused. "I'll think about it. This place isn't exactly safe."

"I'll pay double?"

"...I'll think harder about it."

Kaen went into his tent and laid down. After a few more minutes of staring at the fire, I too went into a tent, laid down, and closed my eyes.

I woke up as the sun was rising, my back sore from laying on the thin mattress. I exited the tent and stretched. A thin layer of snow had covered the ground overnight, extinguishing the fire I had started the night before. Kaen was still snoring soundly. I looked around and immediately saw the entrance to Bleak Falls Barrow. It was almost impossible to miss really. Giant black towers stuck out of the mountain side lining the entrance to Bleak Falls Barrow. The clean white snow made it especially easy to spot the archways. It was a little intimidating to be so far away from the Barrow but still see it towering over me.

I yawned as I shuffled over to Kaen's tent. I nudged him with my foot and he rolled over. He seemed even more tired than I was. The life of a carriage driver must be more exhausting than I thought.

"Good luck in there," Kaen said. "I've heard some pretty messed up things about that place."

"You're not coming with me?" I asked worriedly.

"Not after the things I've seen on these mountains. You? You've got weapons and magic. I've got a tiny dagger that I've never even used. I'm a driver, not a fighter."

"Well, I don't know how long I'll be in there. What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I don't know," Kaen said as he stretched. "I'll probably sit here and do some writing. I've been working on short stories based on my travels. You should read them sometime!"

I chuckled. "I'll tell you what: if I make it out of there, I'll buy a copy."

"Deal." Kaen smiled and sat back down next to the fire-pit. He pulled out a roll of paper from his knapsack and a piece of charcoal and began writing. I turned and began walking towards the Barrow.

It wasn't a long walk but the stress made it seem like miles. I don't even know what a Dragonstone is. Or what type of creatures are in here. My thoughts occupied my mind the whole walk up to the archway.

Once I arrived at the archway, I slowly made my way up the black stone stairs. Just like the towers and arches, the entrance path the Barrow was longer than I had expected. It took another few minutes to reach the doorway. The Barrow was built into the side of the mountain. It made it seem like the door opened up the mountain itself. I was half expecting to find a rock wall behind the door.

Unfortunately, I did not. On the other side of the door was another staircase that led down into the Barrow. I drew my axe and made my descent. At the bottom of the stairs, I heard some voices coming from further in the temple. I ducked down and found cover behind a fallen pillar.

The whole room was filled with dilapidated pillars and broken pieces of wall. The far end of the hall was lit up from a rather large fire on the ground. Surrounding the fire was three people armed with bows and swords. I listened closely to their conversation, trying to figure out who they were.

"We can't wait for him any longer," said a female voice.

"We have to. He's the leader." That voice sounded like a young male.

"Oh, shut up, kid. We don't have leaders," said the female.

"But the boss said-," responded the kid.

"Screw what the boss said," interrupted a third, raspy voice. "If that Dark Elf was so smart, he'd be back by now."

"Maybe we should go looking for him…" said the woman.

"Okay, fine," said the raspy voice. "I'll go search for him. I'll be back in a few minutes. If you leave me here, I will hunt you down. Got it?"

The silence marked their agreement. As I listened closely, I heard the raspy man's footsteps head down the hallway. I peaked over the pillar and saw the woman sharpening her sword and the young guy pacing nervously around the fire. I quickly and quietly made my way closer to the fire. I hid behind another piece of rubble and waited to hear what they were going to do next.

"What do we do next?" Asked the young guy.

"We leave."

"What?! But he just said that he would hunt us down!"

"Do you think I care? He can try to hunt me down. If he finds me, I'll cut his head off."

I hear the sound of the woman picking up her supplies.

"Are you coming with me?" She asked.

Hesitation.

"Are you sure he won't find us?"

"No," she answered. "But what if he comes back out here and sees just you sitting here by the fire? Who do you think he will blame for my absence?"

Another hesitation.

"Good point. I'll pack up my stuff."

A few minutes later, the fire was stomped out and the supplies were packed up. Thankfully, the darkness of the fireless room made it easy to hide from the bandits as they left the Barrow. That means that there's just two more bandits here. The Dark Elf and the raspy voiced man. Oh, and all those monsters that killed all the adventurers before me. That's all.

I got back up and went to the other side of the hall. The embers of the fire were still lit. A hallway started a few feet from the fire. I assumed that the raspy voiced man had went down that path. I figured that he would know where he was going so I decided to follow him.

The hallway soon turned into a cave like hall filled with twists and turns. The walls of the cave were lined with moss and grass. It seemed like nobody had been through here in centuries. Except the two people before me. And I may have to kill them.

After what seemed like an hour of walking through the small cave, I came across a slightly different looking area. It was still a cave with rock walls and moss but there were obvious signs of construction. Wooden panels sat on the ground and beams lined the ceiling. As I entered the cave, I saw the raspy voiced man.

If he can be called that. The raspy voiced belonged to a lizard-looking creature, complete with scales and a tail. The humanoid reptile seemed to be no different than any elf or human I had seen in these lands before. Only with a long forked tongue and thin red eyes.

He was looking at a map in his hands and cursing. I pinned myself against the wall and waited for him to leave the room. I crouched down and drew my bow. Why would I risk getting hurt in hand to hand combat when I can take him out before he sees me?

I snuck around the corner and nocked an arrow. The man kept walking down the hallway and entered a large, torchlit room. I snuck after him and waited until he got into the center of the room. I pulled the bow back and aimed at his back. He continued walking forward towards a lever placed on the ground. There was a gate on the far end of the room.

"Hm," he grunted. "Must open the gate."

As he pulled the lever back, a clunking sound filled the room, followed by a ticking noise. The man looked around nervously. I lowered my bow to get a better view but the string slipped out of my hands. The arrow shot out and broke against the ground, causing a loud _crack_ to echo through the cave.

The man spun around and glared at me.

"Who the hell are yo-"

His words were cut short as a shower of darts shot out of a nearby wall and impaled him in multiple areas. He screamed for a moment before falling to the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes.

After carefully surveying the scene for more booby traps, I rushed forward into the room. I knelt down next to the body and inspected the wounds. The darts had gone pretty deep into his back. There was some green ooze amidst the blood seeping from the wounds. I cautiously dipped my fingers into the goo but quickly withdrew them.

"Ah!" I exclaimed.

Whatever this green goo was, it burned at the touch. It must be some kind of acid. Getting a few dozen of these acid dipped metal darts in your back couldn't feel to good. Thankfully (for me, that is), the lever had also opened the gate. I stepped over the body and ran through the open gate before it had a chance to slam shut on me. I tried to ignore the thought that, if the poisoned darts were activated every time the lever was pulled, then that means that whoever lived here before needed to sacrifice someone every time they needed the gate open.

I went through another hall and into a small study. There was a small desk against the wall with a few books piled on it. Next to the desk was a spiral staircase leading down into another part of the Barrow. I put my bow away and drew my axe. I had no idea what was waiting on the other end of the stairs.

As I made my descent, I heard a strange sound coming from further down the stairs. I walked slower down the stairs and prepared myself for a battle.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, I saw a tremendous amount of webbing lining the walls.

_Oh, hell_, I thought. More spiders.

I followed the path further into the caves and the webbing got thicker and thicker.

"You can't keep me here forever!" I heard a voice yell.

The Dark Elf.

"Just kill me already!"

I rushed forward and found a large room covered in thick webbing. On the other end of the room was the Dark Elf, strung up by webbing, unable to move.

"Hey!" He yelled towards me. "Hey, you! Wood Elf! Come get me out of here."

I ran forward to help him but the sound started again before I could reach him. This time it was louder.

"Behind you!" He yelled.

I spun around in time to see a gigantic spider descend from the ceiling. This one was twice as big as the one I fought with Ralof.

It growled at me, venom dripping from its fangs. I sparked the flames in my hand and spun my axe around. A quick jet of flames to the spider's face gave me enough time to jump to the side and swing my axe. It sliced through one of the spider's eight legs, not severing it, but causing it to bleed profusely and crumple to the ground. I gave it another hot blast to the face, causing it to stumble backwards against the wall. Adrenaline got the better of me and I charged forward.

I swung my axe down and the spider's head but it was too quick. The spider reared back and stood above me on it's two hind legs. It was even bigger than I had thought. It towered over me by at least 18 feet. I backed away in awe.

Bad idea.

The spider came crashing down, causing me to lose my balance. I tried to shoot another flame at it but I didn't have time. The spider was already upon me. It's venom dripped onto my armor, sizzling. Thankfully, it didn't seep through the tough armor. The spider was only a few feet away from my face. It was so close I could see into its eyes. Its dark black eyes.

I was so scared that I couldn't get angry enough to summon the flames. This appeared to be the end of my adventuring days. Then an idea sparked in my mind.

Pun very much intended.

I remembered Farengar's words. _Simply envision the sparks and they will come_.

I pictured the sparks coming from my palm. My hand started vibrating. I opened my palm and pressed against the spider's face. A loud fizzle of electricity exploded from my palm and onto the spider's face. The spider screamed and stumbled backwards. I jumped to my feet and picked up my axe. I ran over to the Dark Elf and sliced through the webbing. Somehow, the electricity was still sparking on the spiders face, causing it to scramble around uncontrollably.

Soon, the Dark Elf had been cut down and was pulling shreds of the webbing off his clothes.

"Follow my lead!" He yelled. He ran up to the spider and I followed. "You've got flames?"

I nodded.

"Use them."

I ignited the flames in my empty palm. The Dark Elf clenched his eyes shut and groaned. Flames soon ignited in both his palms. He shouted in triumph and shot the flames at the spider. I did the same (sans the yelling). The spider tried to back away but hit the wall instead. There was nothing it could do.

After a few moments, the spider was dead.

The Dark Elf and I collapsed against the wall in exhaustion.

"Who..who...who the hell are you?" He asked between breaths.

"Molag. I'll be your savior today. What's your name?"

"Call me Arvel."

I sighed. "Nice to meet you, Arvel. What are you doing at Bleak Falls Barrow?"

Arvel stood up and cracked his back. "I heard there was a treasure at the end of this place. I was almost to the end when this eight-legged bastard caught me."

That sparked my interest. "What treasure?"

"No clue," Arvel said. "But it seems like we're both the lucky ones here."

"How so?"

"Well, if you hadn't come and cut me down, I would be dead. If I hadn't come in the first place, you wouldn't have this." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a shiny, gold object. He tossed it to me and I caught it.

It was a golden claw. It was surprisingly heavy. I turned it around in my hand and saw three small symbols etched in the back.

"What is it?" I inquired.

"A key, according to the lore….You did read the lore, didn't you?"

My hesitation gave him his answer.

"Gods, did you prepare at all for this? Or did you just rush in half-cocked?"

Again, silence answered him.

"Idiot. Anyways, according to the lore, this claw is a key used to open the door to the treasure. It doesn't say exactly what the treasure is but it's guarded by 'those cursed few from the lands beyond' or some crap."

"Well, that sounds fun," I sighed sarcastically.

Arvel helped me to my feet and we continued our path. Just behind where Arvel had been suspended by the webbing was a small hallway lined with torches. At the end of the hall was a large room with several large holes in the walls.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Uh-oh," Arvel groaned. "Axe at the ready, Molag. This is the crypt."

As soon as he finished his sentence, a creaking noise filled the room. I looked around at the holes in the wall. Inside were the mummified corpses of the former residents of Bleak Falls Barrow. And they were waking up.

All around us, the dead were creaking and cracking back to life. Their moans filled the crypt. Arvel and I stood back to back, spinning in circles, trying to count how many were there. I stopped counting after the first twelve.

"Draugr," Arvel said. "The living remains of the Nordic dead. Fun stuff."

He blasted fire at the closest Draugr. It crumpled to the ground.

"Fire is the best. A good, swift hit to the head does the trick, too."

"Got it," I said. "How do we-"

"GO!" He yelled.

Shooting fire from both hands, Arvel ducked underneath the arms of two attacking Draugr as I swung my axe at the approaching dead. The first hit struck the Draugr on the temple, sending him to the ground. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough for the next Draugr. It grabbed my arm and bit down.

I screamed in pain and elbowed him in the face. Another axe swing took him down. I looked at the wound on my arm. The blue armor was quickly darkening with blood. Thankfully, that made me angry. Flames welled up in my hand and I melted a few more Draugr before they calmed down. Arvel had taken down a few himself and killed another as I watched him. He caught me staring and smiled triumphantly. A Draugr stood up behind Arvel.

"Duck!" I yelled as I drew my bow. Arvel ducked as my arrow soared over him and stuck itself in the Draugr's head. It went down without a sound.

"Thanks, brother," Arvel said. "Ouch. Did one of them get you?"

I looked at my arm which was dark red with blood.

"Uh, yeah…it's not dangerous, is it?"

"No, but you'll want to pour some of this on there." He tossed me a red vial.

I popped the cap off and pour a few drops on my wound. It quickly healed itself and was as good as new within a minute.

"Wow. What is that stuff?"

"Just a simple health potion," Arvel answered. "You keep it. I've got a few more."

I thanked him and put the potion in my pocket. I took a few steps towards the crypt's exit when Arvel yelled at me to stop.

"What? What is it?"

"Don't...move…" He came up to me and knelt down.

"Back up," he ordered.

I took a few steps back and Arvel rose to his feet.

"Give me your axe."

I complied.

Arvel used the axe to behead a nearby Draugr. After handing the axe back to me, he picked up the head. He tossed it forward and it landed on a slightly discolored tile. The tile sunk into the ground and a huge wall of spikes swung out of nowhere, slamming to a stop just where the tile sat. The Draugr head was impaled without even nudging.

"Damn!" Arvel exclaimed.

"Woah! Thanks for the heads up," I said.

"No problem," Arvel smiled. "You're the one with the axe." He gave me a wink.

The wall slowly creaked back into its original location and reset itself. Arvel and I carefully step over the tile and made our way out of the crypt. There was a large stone door on the other end of the crypt. Arvel and I pushed it open and entered the next hall.

As we stepped into the hall, the far wall instantly caught my eye. It was unlike any wall I had seen so far. It had a large round design in the middle with several groves in it that formed concentric circles. After inspecting the room for more traps, we walked to the other end to get a better look at the wall. On the center of the wall was a small indent about the size of a….

"Give me the claw," I told Arvel. He handed me the golden claw and I lined it up with the indent. It was a perfect fit.

"Amazing," Arvel said under his breath. "Do we just...turn it or something?"

"I guess." I reached forward and turned the claw. A familiar clanking noise sent a chill down my spine.

"Get down!" I yelled.

I tackled Arvel to the ground as a shower of darts clanged against the stone door. I waited for the clanging to stop. I got back on my feet. The ground was littered with poisonous darts.

"More darts?!," Arvel exclaimed, still flat on his back. "Are you kidding me?"

I realized that Arvel had gone through the first booby trap as well. I wondered how he got past it. I also wondered if I should tell him about his dead crewmate. I pushed the thoughts back. I would deal with that at a later time.

I looked closer at the wall. There had to be some way through it. I peered closely at the concentric rings. In the center of each ring, were impressions of different symbols. The one on top appeared to be a moth or a dragonfly of some sort. The one below it was obviously a bear. The bottom impression was an owl. I pulled out the claw and looked at. The etchings on the back were of a bear, an insect, and another bear. It all made sense. I wanted to kick myself for not seeing it earlier.

"We are both idiots," I told Arvel.

I pressed my finger against the insect symbol on the ring. The ring rumbled and began to turn. It spun around a little until the symbol of the bear appeared. I spun the rest of the rings until they matched up with the back of the claw. Cautiously, I inserted the claw and turned it. There was no clanking this time. The door began to rumble. It slowly began to sink into the ground, revealing a hidden passageway behind it.

"And suddenly….hall." Arvel whispered. We hesitantly stepped through the new archway and into the tunnel.

After following the tunnel for a few minutes, we emerged into a dark, wet cavern. There were waterfalls lining the walls and a stone bridge leading to the other side of the cave. On the other side of the bridge was a large black box and a wall with several carvings on it. It looked like some form of writing but I couldn't make it out from where I was standing.

"Let's go. The treasure must be over there," Arvel said excitedly as he rushed across the bridge. I quickly followed him and stood next to him on the other side.

I could hear a faint chanting sound in the distance.

"It must be in there," Arvel said, pointing to the black box.

He approached it and took a deep breath. He put his hands on the lid and a large crash echoed throughout the cave. Arvel flew backwards and crashed against the wall. The lid of the box had been shattered into a dozen pieces. A Draugr slowly rose from the box. This one was unlike the Draugrs we had faced in the crypt. This one wore a stone crown, was taller, and almost radiated energy. I drew my axe even though I didn't have a clue what to do with it.

The Draugr looked at me and it felt like he was staring into my very soul. Those cold, empty, dark eyes pierced through my body like a dagger. I was frozen in my place.

The Draugr picked up a sword from its coffin and began walking towards me. It swung the sword at my head. I barely ducked in time. I tried a quick swing to his legs but he backed up before I could connect. A swift kick to my face sent me back a good five feet. Dazed, I rolled over onto my stomach and tried crawling away.

Bad plan.

Another kick (this time to my stomach) sent me to the edge of the platform. Thankfully, it was just a stream of water about 10 feet below so a fall wouldn't kill me. But the fall wasn't what I was worried about now. I struggled to my feet and picked up my axe. I summoned some fire since Arvel said that they Draugrs were weak to fire. I shot some flames at the Draugr. He seemed a bit taken aback but kept advancing. I tried another axe swing. This time, because the Draugr was so distracted by the fire, the axe struck him in the side of the face.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a good enough blow. The Draugr turned back toward me, gash in his face, anger in his eye sockets. A skeletal backhand smacked into my face and I was back on the ground again. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the Draugr. The Draugr raised his sword, about to cut me in two.

Twin streams of fire blasted the Draugr in the face, sending him tumbling backwards. I traced the flames back to their source: Arvel.

"Are you gonna get up or am I just gonna roast this guy myself?" He yelled.

I got to my feet and joined Arvel in roasting the Draugr. The Draugr screamed in pain. It struggled to turn towards Arvel, opened his mouth, and sent Arvel flying. I couldn't make out what he had said but it seemed to be some sort of magical language. It was enough to make me lose concentration on my fire, extinguishing it immediately. The Draugr turned towards me and shouted at me in the mystical language. My axe was sent flying almost as far as Arvel was. The Draugr threw me back against the wall with the carvings.

The chanting got louder.

It was deafening.

The room seemed to get darker.

Suddenly it was just me and the chanting.

A small line of symbols on the wall glowed blue.

A strange wind seemed to be blowing towards the symbols. I stood up and walked towards the glowing symbols.

The chanting filled my head until I couldn't hear my own thoughts.

Suddenly the wind changed directions. Instead of going into the symbols, it was now surrounding my body. The wind was warm and seemed to wrap itself around me.

All of the sudden, my feet lifted off the ground. The wind was suspending me in midair.

A word came through the darkness.

_Fus._

Then…

Silence.

No chanting.

No wind.

I was lowered back onto my feet.

The room was no longer dark and the Draugr was still approaching.

I was filled with power.

I felt like I was glowing.

A tugging sensation in my gut began to work its way up my gullet. It filled my chest and came up into my mouth. I opened my mouth and shouted at the Draugr.

"_FUS._"

The Draugr went flying across the chasm.

_What did I just say?_ I wondered.

No time for that.

I picked up my axe and sprinted forward. I leaped across the chasm and landed on the other side. I marched over to the dazed Draugr and raised my axe. In one swift motion, the Draugr's head tumbled away and fell into the stream below.

The power I felt in my body was fading quickly. Soon, it was gone completely.

I shook myself from my daze and suddenly remembered Arvel. I ran back across the bridge (I was not risking leaping without power) and over to where Arvel was laying. There was a red smear down the wall where he had slid. It was obvious that it had come from his head. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the healing potion he had given me. I poured some of the liquid onto the back of Arvel's head.

"Come on, Arvel. Wake up, man."

Nothing.

I poured more of the liquid onto the wound.

"Arvel?"

Nothing.

That was it. No more potion left to pour. No more hope left to give. Arvel was gone.

I got to my feet and wiped the sweat from my eyes. I didn't have time to feel bad. I had a Dragonstone to collect.

I walked over to the Draugr's coffin and looked inside. Inside the coffin were a few arrows, an old bow, and a large, gray stone. I picked it up and looked closer. It was covered in the same symbols that had just given me the power to send the Draugr flying across the cave. This had to be the Dragonstone.

I turned away from the coffin and said goodbye to Arvel.

After making my way back through the Barrow, I finally found my way to the entrance. It was snowing again. A lot harder than the night before.

Was it the night before? How long had I actually been in Bleak Falls Barrow?

I made my way back through the archways and back towards the camp. I saw Kaen sitting by the fire-pit. There was someone sitting next to him. And someone else lying on the ground behind them.

I drew my axe and quickened my pace.

Kaen stood up and raised his arms.

"Hey! It's okay, Molag! It's okay!" He yelled.

As I approached, I saw that Kaen had been sitting with the young guy I had seen inside the Barrows. The body laying on the ground was the woman who was with him.

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

Kaen explained.

Apparently, after the woman and kid had left the Barrows, they had ran in to Kaen at the campsite. The woman decided to rob him of his carriage and possessions. The kid, Ekim, had tried to convince her not to but she threatened to kill him. In the end, Kaen ended up having to kill the woman with his dagger. Ekim convinced Kaen not to kill him by explaining that he meant no harm. The two had been talking ever since.

"Nice to meet you, Ekim," I said, extending my hand. He tentatively shook it and gave me a nervous smile. "Thanks for not uhh...killing my driver."

We all shared a laugh.

I walked over to the body on the ground.

"No use letting her supplies go to waste," I muttered to myself.

I pulled the arrows off her back and checked her pockets for gold. She had a few Septims (about 35 worth) which I pocketed.

"Hey..do..do you have to do that?" Ekim asked quietly.

I shrugged. "She's not gonna be using them."

I turned around in time to see a blur hurtling towards me. It slammed into me and knocked me onto the ground. Punches landed on my face and neck.

"Leave me to die?!" My attacker yelled. "Steal _my_ treasure?!"

Arvel.

I tried to call for help but Arvel's fist landed on my teeth.

The blows stopped and I heard Arvel struggling. Through my swollen eyes, I saw Kaen pulling Arvel away from me. I got back onto my feet and waited for my vision to clear. Ekim rushed to my side to help me gain my balance.

When my vision cleared, I saw Arvel and Kaen locked in a fist fight a few yards away. I tried to make my way over but Ekim held me back.

"You can't fight right now," he said. "Wait until you get your bearings."

I continued struggling to break Ekim's grasp.

Kaen struggled to keep Arvel from beating him down.

Arvel was struggling to grab Kaen's dagger.

Arvel won.

I froze.

A shimmer of metal.

A mist of red.

A grunt.

Kaen fell to the ground and Arvel stood above him. Ekim let me go. I charged at Arvel, tackling him to the ground. We struggled for a moment until I grabbed onto his neck with both hands. He grabbed mine as well. We rolled around for a bit, hands squeezing each other's throats. I felt my blood supply get cut off. My vision got blurry again and my head felt woozy. I summoned my strength and rolled over one last time. Using my knee, I pried Arvel off of me and crawled towards Kaen's body.

Arvel was on top of me in a flash.

But he was too late.

The dagger was in my hand.

And Arvel's armor wasn't as thick as mine.

His face froze in pain. I twisted the knife and stared into Arvel's eyes. He stared back. Soon, the light was gone from his eyes. I rolled him off of me, leaving the knife in his chest.

I scrambled to my feet and ran to Kaen. He was laying in the snow, a pool of red formed around him. The wound was deep in his neck. He tried to speak but only groans and coughs came out. I looked at me and then to Ekim. He looked back at me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He placed it in my hand. It was a key. He pointed towards his bag.

His hand fell on the snow.

His eyes went dark.

His body sighed.

I shakily got to my feet and looked at the key in my hand.

"What's that?" Ekim asked.

"Just...just a key," I responded.

Kaen had pointed to his bag just after gave me the key. I went over to the bag and searched inside. All that was inside was some food, his stories, some charcoal to write with, and a small wooden box...with a lock on the front. I inserted the key and the lock disengaged.

I opened the box to find some papers and a few pieces of gold. The gold pieces, however, were worth about 100 gold each. The papers were deeds to Kaen's horses and carriage. Apparently, whoever held the papers, owned the horses. In Kaen's dying moments, he had given me the chance to get back to Whiterun without him.

After burying Kaen and Arvel, Ekim and I gathered our supplies without saying a word. We packed up the carriage and climbed aboard. I realized shortly after that I had no idea how to drive. I thought that maybe it was like my sword fighting and magic and maybe it was just a skill I hadn't discovered yet.

That idea was quickly diminished.

"Uhh..I can drive...if you like?" Ekim stammered.

I nodded without saying a word and climbed into the back.

It wasn't until I had sat still for a few moments that I realized how exhausted I was. I closed my eyes and laid down on the stiff wooden seats. The last thing I heard was Ekim cracking the reigns.


	4. Dragon Rising

Chapter Four: Dragon Rising

I woke up as Ekim pulled the carriage into Whiterun. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Memories of Kaen and Arvel swirled in my head, fogging my vision. Ekim parked the carriage outside some stables and tied the horses to a post. He helped me out of the carriage and we headed towards the gates.

After making our way through the city, we headed up to the Jarl's palace. My heavy legs made it almost impossible to climb the steps up to the castle. Ekim had to catch me a couple times to keep me from falling off the edge. Despite getting a few hours of sleep on the carriage ride back, I was still exhausted from my fight. The emotional exhaustion from seeing Kaen die was almost as bad.

The guards at the top of the stairs were a little wary about letting Ekim through. I guess his armor was recognizable as the armor of a bandit. After explaining that Ekim was not the one who had caused my face to swell and bleed, they tentatively let us past.

Once inside, I saw the Jarl sitting on his throne, Irileth standing next to him. When the Jarl saw me, he leaped to his feet and pushed Irileth out of the way. She didn't seem too thrilled about that.

"You're back!" the Jarl shouted. "How did it go? Did you get the Dragonstone?"

I nodded and shrugged Ekim off my shoulder. I limped over to the Jarl and reached inside Kaen's bag (I had decided to use it as my own) and pulled out the Dragonstone. The Jarl's eyes lit up at the sight of the stone.

He slowly approached me, eyes locked on the Dragonstone. As he got closer and closer, his eyes got wider and wider.

"Wow...it's so...so...FARENGAR!"

The Jarl yelled the wizard's name so loudly that I almost dropped the stone.

Farengar came rushing out soon after and immediately locked eyes with me.

"You're back!" Farengar yelled at me. I couldn't tell if it was excitement or surprise. Probably both. "And you have the stone! Give it to me!"

He snatched it out of my hands before I had the chance to give it to him. He inspected it for a few moments. As he was inspecting the stone, a woman exited Farengar's chambers. She was dressed about the same as Farengar. She had similar blue robes with the hood pulled over her head.

"Careful with that," she said. Her voice was softer than I had expected. She had a certain rugged quality about her. "You don't want to break it and have to send him out for another one."

_Fat chance_, I thought.

"I'm Delphine," the woman said as she extended her hand. I shook it and introduced myself and Ekim.

"That's some face you've got there," Delphine said sarcastically. "What happened?"

That questioned seemed to break Farengar's trance.

"Oh, yeah," he said hastily, "how was the Barrow?"

My glare should have given him his answer but he kept prying, wondering what monsters I had seen. I told him the whole story (minus the part about Arvel coming back and killing Kaen; that seemed a little heavy) and by the end, Farengar's focus had returned to the stone.

"Wow," Farengar said, sounding a little bored. "What an impressive story. Sounds miraculous. I need to research this stone more."

He walked away muttering something about cross-referencing.

"Sorry about Farengar," Delphine whispered. "You need to understand that he has been searching for a Dragonstone his whole life. They're very rare."

"By 'he's been searching', you mean that he's been sending adventurers to their doom on the off chance that they would come back with a stone?"

"Yeah, basically."

Delphine turned away and followed Farengar back to their chambers. The Jarl walked back to his throne where Irileth was standing. Ekim and I decided to fill our stomachs at the dining tables.

A few meals later, my exhaustion had diminished and my stomach had been filled. Maybe it was the mead, but I was ready to go out on another quest already. I was excited and full of energy. Despite the fact that two people I had thought of as my friends had just been killed, I was liking the life of an adventurer. I got up from the table and approached the Jarl, who was still sitting on his throne. Irileth was no where to be seen.

"Excuse me, Jarl Balgruuf? I was wondering if you had any more work for me to do around Whiterun."

The Jarl chuckled. "Well, aren't you an active one?" He sighed. "Unfortunately, things have been pretty quiet around here."

As if on cue, Irileth came running through the hall.

"Dragon! Dragon! A dragon has been spotted!" She yelled.

The Jarl jumped up from his throne and asked, "Where?"

Irileth caught her breath and said, "One of our guards from the Western Watchtower came in and told us that a dragon had came and killed the other guards. Would you like me to organize an attack part?"

"Absolutely," the Jarl said. "Take Molag with you."

Irileth froze in her place.

"Sir, with all due respect, he has no experience in the field. He's unprepared and ill-equipped and-"

"Irileth!" The Jarl said, raising his voice.

She stopped arguing and gave me a glare.

"You'd better not get me or my men killed. Got it, rookie?"

I nodded begrudgingly.

She sighed gruffly. "Get your gear together and meet me at the Western Watchtower. Don't be late."

She stomped away and went upstairs.

"She grows on you," the Jarl said. "Don't take anything she says too personally."

"Any idea what her problem is with me?" I asked.

"No clue," he responded. "But she wasn't kidding. If you're late, she may actually kill you."

Ekim came up and joined our conversation.

"Hey, uhh, Molag? Umm, we aren't...you know...going after the dragon are we?"

I stared at him, answering him only with my eyes.

"Oh...okay...umm...can I stay here? Maybe?"

I thought about it for awhile and said, "That depends. What skills do you have in combat?"

"Virtually none."

"You can't use magic?"

"No."

"Not good with a bow?"

"Nope."

"Sword? axe? Knife?"

"No, nope, and not even kinda."

"...you can stay here."

The smile that spread across his face seemed to light up the entire room.

"Thanks, boss!" He yelled as he ran back to the dining table and grabbed a sweet roll.

The Jarl and I laughed at Ekim's giddiness as he shoved the sweet roll in his mouth. I gathered my supplies and sparked a practice flame in my palm. The flames danced around my hand until I urged them to die down.

I headed back through the hall and out the front doors into Whiterun. I jogged down the stairs and through the city, brushing off the glances of passersby. Once I was outside the gates and had made my way down to the road, I looked down into the distance and saw a large stone tower rising out of the plains. There was no dragon to be seen but I was sure it was there.

I ran down the road toward the watchtower. I saw a large boulder set next to the road that seemed like it would provide sufficient cover. I jogged over to the rock and knelt down next to it, beginning my wait for Irileth.

As much as she stressed that I should not be late, Irileth certainly took her sweet time getting here. After waiting for about an hour, I finally saw the distant shadows of Irileth and her companions down the road. I stood up and yelled, "Irileth! Hey, Irileth, over here!"

"Sit the hell down, you moron, there's a damn dragon in the skies!" She yelled back.

"Relax," I responded, "I've been waiting here for an hour- for you, by the way - and I haven't seen or heard a dragon."

"Just sit down or, I swear to the gods, I will shove my sword so far-"

The rest of Irileth's colorful insult was cut off when a guard came running out of the Western Watchtower shouting, "Thank the gods! I thought a rescue party would never show up!"

"Where is it?" I shouted back to the survivor.

The survivor paused before shouting back, "Who the hell are you?"

Surprisingly, Irileth came to my aid and responded, "Answer the damn question!"

"I don't know where it is! It disappeared a little while ago, after killing two of the guards."

"How many are left?" Irileth asked.

"Just me and Trojeth."

The large, heavy sound of flapping wings filled the air, deafening the survivor's cry as he sprinted back to the tower. The afternoon sun was blotted out by the huge beast circling above. The dragon let out a ear-splitting roar and came crashing to the ground in front of us, crushing the poor survivor who had almost made it to the tower.

"Is he back?!" I heard someone yell from behind the beast.

Trojeth emerged from the tower and stared wide-eyed at the monster.

"He's back."

Before he could say anything else, the dragon turned towards him and engulfed the final survivor in a fury of flames.

I was frozen in place. I wanted to move. I wanted to turn tail and run back to the safety of Whiterun. But I knew, even if I could run, Irileth wouldn't let me get far.

"Archers, fire at will! Molag, you're with me! When I attack the front, you get the back. Got it?" Irileth shouted at my face.

Even if I hadn't "gotten it", I didn't have time to ask any questions. The dragon had turned back and was facing us. Irileth's guards scattered around the tower, hiding behind pieces of rubble and stone. Irileth shoved me down behind the boulder I had been standing by and crouched next to me.

"I'll distract it while you sneak around back," I told her.

"You most certainly will not! I have years of battle experience and all you've done is escape a death sentence."

"_Exactly_," I retorted, "I distract it while you sneak around and find a weak point."

"..."

"Well?"

"...fine. But don't do anything stupid."

_Don't do anything stupid...like what? Try to distract a bigass dragon?_

I poked my head over the boulder and saw that the dragon had its back to us, attacking the other guards by snapping its jaws or swinging its tail.

_Maybe I won't need to distract it after all,_ I thought.

Of course, that wasn't the case.

A stray guard tried to flank the beast and caused it to turn towards Irileth and I, snapping its jaws around the attacking guard.

I nocked an arrow and stood up, aiming at the dragon's eye and firing. My aim was a few inches off and the arrow shattered against the dragon's skull. I needed a different approach.

"Wait until it's clear," I told Irileth.

"What do you mean?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I did probably the stupidest thing I could have ever decided to do at that moment. I jumped over the boulder and drew my axe.

And charged.

I don't know what possessed me to do this. Maybe it was the fear of dying next to Irileth. Maybe it was the thrill of dying for her. There was something about Irileth. Her crude attitude toward me made me very interested in getting her to like me.

I have serious problems.

As I was charging, the dragon snapped its jaws at me. I rolled out of the way, barely avoiding its maw and feeling the hot breath on my skin. I rolled a few more times until I was behind the beast. I swung my axe down at its tail and struck my target.

While the dragon was none too pleased at the axe in its tail, it gave Irileth enough time to sprint from the boulder and reach the safety of the tower. The dragon flung its tail to the side, my axe still stuck in its leathery skin. My grip was a lot stronger than I thought and I was flung with it. My axe dislodged and I flew across the rubble and somehow went through the open door into the tower and landed next to where Irileth was standing.

"What the hell was the point of that, dumbass?" She asked as she helped me to my feet.

"Well, we're not behind the boulder anymore."

"Shut up and get ready to attack again."

I picked up my axe and readied some flames in my hand.

Irileth looked at my hand and said, "Hey, remind me, what do dragons breathe?"

"Fire," I replied, realizing my stupidity and extinguishing the flames.

Maybe sparks would be better for this occasion.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Weren't you listening before?" Irileth snapped. "I attack the front and you attack the back."

I nodded in agreement and looked out the door at the dragon who was busy shrugging off arrows from the archers. Irileth ran out in front of the dragon and began swinging her sword and blasting some magic at it. It seemed to hurt the dragon a little but not enough to cause any real damage. I took this opportunity to sneak around back and take a few hacks with my axe. Again, barely any effect.

Another swing of the tail sent me flying into a piece of rubble, dazing me and blurring my vision. When I got my sight back, I saw Irileth get thrown into a piece of rock, knocking her out cold. I got to my feet and charged again.

I've got to stop doing that.

This time, however, it all went according to plan. Better, actually.

I used a piece of rubble as a stepping stone and launched myself in front of the beast. I swung my axe a few times, angering it even more. I timed my last swing perfectly and sliced at its nose. It lowered its head in pain giving me time to jump onto its snout and take a few more hits to its skull. It roared in pain but I didn't stop. After a few more hits, I jumped onto the top of the dragon's head and turned around. I raised the axe over my head and brought it down as hard as I could. It lodged itself deep inside the beast's skull. The dragon stopped roaring. It stopped struggling.

I leaped down off its head and ran over to Irileth. She was dazed but conscious enough to take my hand as I helped her up.

"What...what happened? Is it dead?" She asked.

"I think so. Are you alright?"

She nodded and immediately winced. Thankfully, there was no blood on her head or on the rock she crashed into so hopefully the damage wasn't too severe.

As Irileth limped over to the dragon's body, she leaned on my shoulder for balance. Approaching the dragon was suspenseful. I wasn't entirely sure I had killed it.

When it began to shake and rumble, I became even less sure.

I pulled Irileth back as the dragon continued to shake. It began to glow a bright fiery red and soon the skin of the dragon was actually on fire. It wasn't a huge flame but it was enough to mark the end of the beast for sure. The flames died down soon, leaving nothing but bones behind.

Well, that's not entirely true.

As soon as the dragon was done burning, a strange sensation filled my lungs. A blue light appeared from the dragon's bones and made its way towards me. It hit me in the chest and I could feel it being absorbed by my very soul. I took a deep breath involuntarily. The blue light disappeared into my chest.

Irileth stared at me in shock.

Suddenly, there was a noise even louder than the dragon's roar. It sounded like a very deep male voice but it seemed to come from everywhere and filled the entire landscape. It spoke a certain word but I couldn't understand it, just like back in the Barrows. Irileth's reaction told me that she had heard it, too.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"It's something that these lands haven't heard for thousands of years. And it's not good." She walked over to the dragon bones and knelt down next to the skull, running her palm across the bridge of the nose. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. She sighed and said, "Please tell me that this was the dragon who attacked Helgen…"

I thought back to Helgen. That dragon was bigger than this one. It was black with spikes and radiated evil and darkness. This dragon we had just slayed was smaller, brown, and didn't have spikes. It seemed more like a soldier than a general.

"No, this one was different."

Irileth cursed under her breath. "We need to get back to the Jarl."

"Wait, wait, wait," I halted. "What was that thing before? I know it wasn't an earthquake."

"You're right," she sighed, "it wasn't. The Jarl can explain it better. That's why we need to get back there."

"No running!" A guard shouts at Irileth and I as we burst into the Jarl's palace. A slew of curse words from Irileth shut him up pretty quickly.

The Jarl was sitting in his throne, having a conversation with some man I hadn't seen before. Irileth's profanity caught the Jarl's attention and he stood to greet us.

"Jarl Balgruuf!" Irileth yelled as she pushed past the man the Jarl had been talking to. "We bring news from the Western Watchtower."

The man she had shoved looked offended. "Brother! You allow your maiden to talk to you in such a way?"

If looks could kill, the whole city would be dead.

"EXCUSE ME?" Irileth shouted as she drew her sword and approached the man.

"Hrongar!" The Jarl intruded. "This is Irileth. My Housecarl. Treat her with the same respect you would show me."

Hrongar sighed and eyed Irileth up and down. "Shame. She seems like she would be a good maiden."

Before Irileth could cut this pig's head off, I decided it was my turn to put him in his place.

Hrongar yelped like a dog and jumped so high he cleared the throne. He looked around, rubbing his backside, trying to see where the pain had come from. I guess he missed my smug smile and the sparks dying down in my palm.

The Jarl gave me a sly grin and a wink.

"Irileth, Molag; I'd like you to meet my brother Hrongar. Ignore him. His values are different than mine. Now," he seated himself at his throne again, "What happened at the tower?"

After a few minutes of explaining, Irileth got to the end of her story.

"Once the dragon was dead, it erupted into flames and...well...I think Molag should explain what happened next."

I took a deep breath and told the Jarl exactly what I remembered. Why Irileth felt I could explain this better, I have no idea. I had probably the least information on the subject. But as I hastily explained the blue light and the feeling it had given me, the Jarl turned pale and his face dropped.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?" Irileth asked him.

"I think so," he responded. "Tell me, Molag, was there a tremor shortly afterwards?"

Shocked, it took me a moment to say, "Uhh..yes, there was."

The Jarl sighed. "I suppose it makes sense. The dragons' return would be a preface to this."

"Would somebody tell me what is going on?" I finally shouted.

The Jarl and Irileth exchanged a look. The Jarl took a breath and said, "That tremor was the call of the Greybeards. They are Masters of the Voice. And experts on all things dragon related."

"So they called me?"

He nodded.

"What for?"

"It seems...an old legend is coming true. Right before our eyes. The legend of the Dragonborn."

Before I could ask what the Dragonborn is and how it relates to me, the Jarl stood up and said, "It's not wise to keep the Greybeards waiting. Or so I hear. I think you should go see them right away. Head to Ivarstead. It's on the other side of the mountain, on the road to Riften. Once in Ivarstead, just follow the path through town and head up the stairs towards the Greybeards. I'd grab a bite to eat first if I were you."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Those stairs lead all the way up the mountain."


	5. The Way of the Voice

Chapter Five: The Way of the Voice

Ekim and I packed our weapons, some more arrows for me, some books from Farengar, food from the kitchen, and extra clothes for the trip. Ivarstead wasn't too far away from Whiterun but it was far enough that we could run into trouble on the way. The Jarl had provided us with as much information as he could but I was still skeptical on the Greybeards. A group of old men who study dragons and live up 7,000 steps on the top of the highest mountain in the land? Sounds like more of a legend than anything else.

Then again, dragons are legends too.

I asked Irileth if she would come with us. Her battle field experience would prove useful going up the mountain. She denied us though. Saying that the Jarl would need her to stay here. I don't know what it was about her but I felt myself wanting her along for more than just her experience.

"You're different around her," Ekim pointed out as I watched her walk away.

"How so?" I asked.

"You stand straighter. Your voice is deeper. Your face gets red. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were smitten with her."

I chuckled and shook my head even though I knew he was right.

"Let's just go to Ivarstead," I said, changing the subject as carefully as I could.

Ekim eyed me skeptically and said, "Fine. But next time we're here, either you talk to her or I will." He walked out the palace doors without holding them for me.

_This will be a long journey,_ I thought.

Ekim and I walked through Whiterun as quickly as we could. Once outside the gates, Ekim checked his map and began to lead us along the path towards the mountain.

"Have you ever heard of these Greybeards before?" I asked him.

"Oh, everyone has. The legends have been around for as long as that mountain has been standing. The story goes that dragons used to rule these lands. All the way from Morthal to Riften. Then a hero called the Dragonborn came. The Dragonborn was said to have been able to speak the language of the dragons."

"And what language is that?" I asked.

"Shouts. That's how dragons communicate. They Shout at each other. It's like magic but instead of your hands, it's your throat."

I chuckled quietly. "So you're saying that if two dragons were fighting in the sky and breathing fire at each other…?"

"They're basically having a very heated debate, yes."

We laughed at that for a bit. It was a funny thought for such a serious problem. That dragon at the Western Watchtower was yelling at us the whole time.

"What are some of these words?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, only the Dragonborn can Shout them. So, nothing will happen if I say them. Uhh, let's see. I heard a few from the stories. There's _Yol_. I think that has something to do with fire. _Ul_, which means 'eternity.' Oh, and _Fus_."

My blood ran cold. That's the word I heard in Bleak Falls Barrow. The one I...Shouted...at the Draugr.

"And uhh…what does that mean?" I said, my voice breaking slightly.

"'Force', I think. Why?"

I debated telling Ekim about the Barrows. I had no doubt that he would believe me. But I knew what his response would be. He'd say that I am the Dragonborn. That it's my destiny to save the land. But he had a right to know who he is traveling with.

It took a few tries but I was finally able to fully explain what happened to me in the Barrows. Ekim was silent through the whole thing. When I was finished, he simply said, "Well, at least you're honest."

The next few miles passed in silence. When we at last reached a road sign pointing us towards Ivarstead, Ekim broke the silence long enough to ask for something to eat from my pack. It took another few hours to reach the small town. It was very remote and almost entirely concealed by the thick forest surrounding it. With the largest mountain in Skyrim on one side and a forest on the other, this town was pretty well defended.

A small bridge separated Ivarstead from the forest. Just by crossing the bridge I could tell that the town was preparing to defend themselves from the dragon threat. Guards ran up and down the street. The lumber mill was running non-stop to provide building materials. Weapons were being rushed from house to house. I knew a handful of guards and some armed civilians wouldn't be enough to stop even a single dragon.

As we walked through the town, guards rushed by without saying a word. We tried several times to ask citizens where the stairs leading up the mountain begin but no one answered. If they did answer, it was simply, "No time."

Finally, we came across a very old man sitting on a bench. He seemed to be completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Excuse me, sir?" I said.

He looked up and said, "Yes, my boy? Can I help you with something?"

"We are looking to get up the mountain. Could you point out where the stairs begin?"

"Well, of course, my son. Just follow this main road through the village and cross a small bridge. The stairs are right on the other side." He gave us a smile that seemed so sincere I could hardly believe it.

"You seem awfully calm," Ekim stated. "You know what's happening right? What could happen to your village any day now?"

The old man laughed. "My boy, I am 75 years old. I have no family. No job. Nothing. I can barely afford the 10 gold a night it costs to stay at the Inn. A dragon is nothing compared to life."

Ekim and I exchanged a glance, thanked the man, and walked away. I wasn't sure if the man was confident in death or just sad in life. Thankfully, his instructions were correct. After following the main road past the lumber mill, we came across a small stream with a stone bridge across it. On the other side were cracked and battered stone steps that led in a zigzag pattern up the side of the mountain.

Ekim and I both took deep breaths and began the second half of our journey up the mountain. 7,000 steps to the top of the tallest mountain in the whole land to talk to some old men who may or may not exist.

This will go great.

After only a few steps, we noticed a small shrine off to the side. Upon closer inspection, we saw some words etched into the wall of the shrine. I didn't recognize the language but Ekim did.

"It says something about dragons," he translated. "Just seems to be about the history of dragons in Skyrim. All the stuff I told you already."

We continued up the steps, killing the occasional wolf that got in our way. As we climbed higher and higher, the steps became more and more broken. Ice and snow began to cover our path. We past another shrine. This one had a hunter praying at it. It didn't seem respectful to bother him, so we kept on our way. It began to snow very suddenly. It wasn't thick snow but it was enough to cause a sigh of exhaustion from both Ekim and I.

After passing another shrine, the path led us to a sharp turn. A stony rock cliff face on one side and a thousand foot drop on the other.

"Let's press ourselves against this wall," I suggested. "Less chance of falling that way."

The idea was easier said than done. Sharp jagged stones protruded from the wall and poked our backs and drew our blood. At one point, Ekim's foot missed a step and almost caused him to fall off the mountain. Quick footwork (and great arm strength on my part) saved him from his death.

Once we were past the wall, the steps continued even further up the mountain. The snowfall was getting thicker, making it harder to see the steps. A distant howl came from somewhere in front us.

"Another wolf?" Ekim asked.

I thought about the strange noise. "No. That was something different."

I drew my axe and Ekim drew two small daggers. We continued on as the snow grew thicker and fell harder. It was almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of us. I was grateful when we reached a small tunnel as the walls blocked out most of the snow.

I was ungrateful, however, for the source of the howling that lived in the tunnel. The moment we stepped foot inside the tunnel, the roar came out again. Much louder this time. The source of the roar came charging at us. A large, white, bear-like creature on two legs. Three green eyes stared straight at me.

"Frost troll!" Ekim yelled as he ducked behind me.

_Damn,_ was my only thought as the troll threw me into the wall with one of his huge arms. My head was woozy and my vision was blurred. All I could make out was the blurry figures of the troll and of my companion. The troll picked Ekim up by his throat. Ekim's legs were flailing as he stabbed at the troll with his daggers. The troll was unafflicted and threw him out of the tunnel into the blizzard. The troll marched out into the blizzard after him.

I could hear Ekim's cries for help and the loud growl of the troll. I summoned the strength to get back up. I picked up my axe and was about to charge into the blizzard after them when I heard a loud grunt followed by slashing sounds.

Ekim's screams had stopped.

Even though it was freezing cold, I could still feel a chill go up my spine.

A figure appeared from the blizzard. I lit a ball of flames in my hand and prepared myself to avenge my friend.

There was no need for that.

The figure came into focus. It was Ekim. Holding the head of the frost troll by his side. He threw the head to ground by my feet. I was in disbelief.

"Ekim, I...I thought you were dead."

"Happy to disappoint you," he said with a smirk.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to use weapons?"

Ekim sighed heavily and said, "Let's take a rest here. We need to talk."

"I'm sorry I had to lie to you," Ekim began. "Have you ever heard of the Dark Brotherhood?"  
>Of course I haven't.<p>

"Well, I'm in it," he continued. "It's a secret group of assassins. Usually, they watch those that are skilled in combat and wait for them to take a life. Not the life of a soldier or a bandit either. But the life of a civilian. Good intentions do not matter. One day, about a year ago, I was with my brother in Windhelm. He owed a local bar money and they had come to collect. They beat him senseless and made me watch as they cut his head off. So, for about a month afterwards, I followed them individually and made them pay for what they did. I made them suffer the same way my brother had suffered."

I couldn't speak even if I wanted to. Ekim was just a kid. Probably about 18 or 19. And he had decapitated grown men.

"A few days later, a courier gave me this letter." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me.

In the center of the page was a large black handprint. Underneath the print were the words, "We're watching you." I handed the paper back and said, "Go on."

"I assumed it was a prank. I set it on my nightstand that night and fell asleep. I woke up in a cabin with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood looming over me. She offered me mountains of gold in exchange for joining the Brotherhood. I accepted."

I shook my head. "But when I met you, you were with those bandits?"

Ekim nodded. "Yes. I had recently infiltrated the bandit clan. My mission was to wait until the leader had the treasure from the Barrows. Then I was to kill him, steal the treasure, and bring it back to the Brotherhood."

"What did the Brotherhood want with the Dragonstone?"

"I have no idea. I stopped asking questions when they threatened to have _me_ assassinated."

"So why didn't you come with me to the Western Watchtower? You stayed behind in the palace."

"I had to contact the Brotherhood. I could sense there was something powerful about you but I wasn't sure what it was. I saw you before you saw me. I knew you were in the Barrows with me and Ecila. That was the woman that Kaen killed. You weren't as sneaky as you thought you were. But the Brotherhood had told me to contact them if I found anything else. After I told them what I had seen, they told me to stay with you and keep an eye on you."

"So, the only reason you're sticking with me is to see if I really am the Dragonborn?"

"No," he said hastily. "I'm sticking with you because you're my friend. Yes, originally, it was to see if you were the Dragonborn. But now it's more than that."

I believed him for some reason. I mean, after my story about what happened to me in the Barrows, he could have just snuck off and contacted the Brotherhood. But he hasn't. He's been here the whole time.

"It's okay, Ekim. I'm not mad. But if there is anything else, you'd better tell me now."

He thought for a moment. "That's all that comes to mind. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know."

We stood up and shook hands.

"Well, thank you for your honesty," I said. "We should keep moving. And hey."

"Yeah?"  
>"Don't cut my head off."<p>

He laughed and said, "Deal."

We exited the tunnel and continued along the stairs. We passed a fifth shrine and finally reached our destination. Out of the blizzard rose a large stone castle built into the side of the mountain.

"There it is," I said under my breath.

"The castle is real. Now how about the occupants?" Ekim added.

We approached the castle slowly. The air here was heavy, despite how high we were on the mountain. The final steps led up to two giant metal doors.

"Should we just go in?" Ekim asked.

"May as well," I responded.

It took both of us to push open the doors. Inside the castle was a large empty room with several hallways leading off on either side. On the far side of the room was another set of stairs that led up to another set of huge metal doors.

Ekim and I cautiously made our way to the center of the room.

"Hello?" I yelled. My greeting echoed through the halls.

"Keep your voice down," whispered a voice to my right.

I spun around and saw no one.

"You heard that too, right?" I asked Ekim.

His blades were already drawn. He nodded silently.

"No need for those," the whisper said. A very soft "_Fus_" came from our left. Ekim's blades were thrown across the room.

I reached for my axe but the voice interrupted saying, "Don't bother. We are not going to harm you."

"Then show yourselves," I demanded.

A gust of wind came from all directions. Suddenly, four old men dressed in grey stood at the entrance to each hallway. They each had long flowing beards and heads of white hair.

The Greybeards.

"So, you are real," I said.

"Yes," said one of the Greybeards, stepping forward. "The legends about us are true. I am Arngeir. I am the senior leader of the Greybeards."

"Looks like you're all seniors," Ekim muttered.

"And you have come all the way up the mountain," Arngeir continued. "Therefore, you must have a reason for being here." He walked closer to me. "Tell me, are you the one we seek?"

"I don't know if I'm the one you seek," I responded. "But I am the one you called."

The other three Greybeards all approached me and began bowing and praying.

"You are the Dragonborn. And you have come to save us from this terror."

I backed up a few steps and said, "I don't know what I am or if I can save anyone. That's what I'm here to find out. I was told you would have answers."

"Maybe not answers," Arngeir said. "But we certainly have plans for you."

"What type of plans?" I asked, slightly concerned at what these strange old men were plotting.

"We plan to prepare you," said one of the Greybeards from his knees.

"Prepare me for what? You don't honestly expect me to fight these things alone, do you?"

The Greybeards rose to their feet.

"Not alone. You will have us to train you. And others to help you. When it comes time to face Alduin, however, you will stand alone."

"Who is Alduin?" I asked.

Arngeir looked into my eyes and said, "He is the leader of the dragons. The one who attacked Helgen. The one who will come for you."

Finding out a giant dragon leader is after you specifically can put a damper on your day.

"And Alduin is coming for me because I am the Dragonborn?"

All four Greybeards nodded.

Ekim cleared his throat. "So, Molag is the Dragonborn. That means only he can speak the language of the dragons, right?"

They all nodded again.

"So, why, when we came in, did you use a Shout to take my weapons? Which I would really like back, by the way."

Arngeir nodded. "We have been practicing in the ways of Shouting for the last Era. It takes incredible concentration and power."

"So, why learn how to speak it?" I asked.

"It brings us closer to the Eight Divine, the gods and goddesses that rule over this land," said one of the Greybeards. "The Eight Divine are the ones who bring the Dragonborn in times of need. This is our time of need."

"And here you are," Arngeir finished.

"Okay," I said, not wanting to argue with the strange men, "Let's say that I am the Dragonborn. Why am I here? How are you going to prepare me?"

Three of the Greybeards walked backwards in different directions until they were each on one point of the stone diamond design in the center of the floor.

"Step into the center of the symbol and we will teach you more of what you already know," Arngeir 'explained.' I was still confused (a feeling I had grown accustomed to) but stepped toward the center of the room anyways. Once I was in the center of the diamond, the Greybeards began humming. It was eerie, having four strange old men surround you and begin humming.

The humming grew louder and louder until it seemed impossible that the old men were the ones making the noise. It grew to a point where I had to resist the urge to cover my ears. Just as I felt like my head was about to explode, the humming stopped. Arngeir raised his head, looked at me, and whispered, "_Ro._"

The same blue light from Bleak Falls Barrow surrounded me, followed by the same mysterious chanting. The room darkened, as before. I was lifted off my feet, as before. The only difference was the word. This time, the voices said, "_Ro_."

As I was gently set back onto the ground, I looked around at the Greybeards. They had begun humming again.

"No," I said, firmly. "What the hell was that? What is happening to me?"

The humming grew louder again.

"Hey!" I yelled at Arngeir. "Stop humming and answer me, dammit."

Well, the humming stopped.

Arngeir looked up again and whispered, "_Dah._"

The same thing happened again. The darkness. The chanting. The floating. And again, the word changed. "_Dah._"

Once I was firmly back onto the ground, I stomped over to Arngeir and grabbed him by his stupid grey robe.

"You've had your fun," I whispered, barely audible. "Now answer my damn questions."

Arngeir looked me in the eye and said, "Ask away, my son."

I let go of Arngeir, shoving him away as I did so.

"Question one: What did you just do to me?"

"We taught you a Thu'um. It's a group of Shouts. Also known as the language of the Dragons. There are three corresponding Shouts in each Thu'um. Each Shout makes the Thu'um more and more powerful. You already knew Force. So we completed the Thu'um by teaching you Balance, and Push. This Thu'um should prove useful on your quest."

"Which brings me to question two," I said, sternly. "What is my quest?"

Arngeir looked at me like I was the crazy one. "Why, to rid the dragons from our land, of course."

Ekim, who had been standing against the wall with his arms crossed the whole time, rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, of course. What else would he be doing here? It's not like he didn't know that already and is looking for some, I don't know, instructions? Maybe some guidance? But, sure. Just keep telling him things he already knows."

Arngeir gave Ekim an annoyed glance. "In due time. No use piling it all on you now."

Ekim rolled his eyes again before grabbing some food from his pack and sitting on the floor to eat.

Arngeir turned back toward me. "We do not know many Shouts, as we are not the ones they are meant for. You possess the power to speak them with full force. Finding the Word Walls is the only way to properly learn a Word. It has taken decades to learn what we have taught you without consulting a Word Wall."

Arngeir began to pace back and forth. "Now then, any other questions?"

"Just one more," I sighed. "What's step one?"


	6. The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller

Chapter Six: The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller

"So, let me get this straight," Ekim interrupted as Arngeir tried shooing us away. "You're sending us after a horn? From some Jerken Wandcalmer?"

"_Jurgen...Windcaller…_," Arngeir corrected. "And yes. Jurgen was the founder of the Greybeards. The Horn should be with him in his tomb in a temple called Ustengrav. Hand me your map."

I did so. Arngeir waved his hand over the map and a small glowing X formed on the eastern edge of the area labeled "Great Marsh."

"There it is," Arngeir said. He handed me the map back to me and raised his head. "Stay true to the ways of the Voice and you will emerge triumphant."

"Why do we even need this horn?" Ekim asked, seeming bored.

"You don't," Arngeir responded. "I do." He turned his back to us and walked away into the temple.

"I guess we had better get going," I said, pulling Ekim away before he had a chance to kill Arngeir for his frustratingly unhelpful responses.

We exited the temple and headed back down the mountain. The return trip didn't seem to take nearly as long as the climb up. We didn't run into any trolls or wolves this time. The people of Ivarstead were still in a rush and barely acknowledged Ekim and I as we passed through town.

"About how long do you think this trip will take?" I asked Ekim.

"A few days at least," he responded with a yawn. "Do you want to take a carriage? The closest we could get would be Morthal. Ustengrav looks like it's about ten miles from there."

"Sure, but, remember: The last carriage driver I had didn't make it home. I'll try not to be friends with this one."

Ekim gave a polite chuckle. I think he half-thought I was serious. We decided (since the Whiterun carriage had no operator) to head towards the second nearest city: Riften.

Riften, according to Ekim, was about a day's trek to the east around the outskirts of a large lake. As we walked the path, Ekim gave me the rundown on Riften and its inhabitants.

I learned about the Thieve's Guild and their group in Riften. They ran all criminal operations in the city and even branched out to other cities occasionally. Rumor had it they had fallen on hard times and weren't nearly as powerful as they once were.

I learned about Maven Black Briar and her famous Black Briar mead. Apparently, all of Skyrim was in love with this mead. He made me promise we would have a drink together at the bar when we got a chance.

We made better time than Ekim had expected and reached Riften around nightfall. A full moon was on the rise. The carriage was parked just outside the city gates but had no one in it.

"Must be closed for the night," Ekim observed. "We'd be better off just getting a room for the night."

We entered the city gates and looked around. The city seemed large but cramped. A small main street separated houses on one side and buildings on the other. The main street led across a bridge and split into two directions. One led to the town square and the other led to the side streets where various shops were held.

It didn't take long at all to find the hotel. It was one of the first buildings in town. The famous Bee and Bard Inn. Coincidentally, it was also the bar. After talking to the bitter lizard woman (Ekim said that race was called Argonian) at the front desk, we got our room for 10 gold for the night.

"You get some rest," Ekim said. "I'm gonna have some mead before I go to sleep."

I was too tired to say anything so I just nodded, yawned, and closed the door. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. Dreams of dragons, horns, and strange old men filled my night.

Not a great combination.

It's even worse when you take into account that Ekim disappeared during the night.

After another snappy conversation with the Argonian woman, I learned that Ekim had, in fact, come down for a drink but left shortly after. She also said to "stop wasting all her precious time" and to go "*violent hiss*" myself.

I'm not sure I like Argonians.

Anyways, I was worried. Not only for what happened to Ekim. But for what may happen to me if I continued my journey alone. Being alone is the scariest thought I could have at this moment. I would face a dozen dragons with Ekim before I would face one alone.

I couldn't do this by myself.

While thoughts of what could have happened to Ekim surged through my mind, I thought about who else I could recruit. Irileth popped into my head. But she had enough problems going on in Whiterun and I didn't want to take her away from that. There was Ralof...that could work. Take a carriage to Riverwood, pick Ralof up, explain everything, and, if he doesn't think I'm insane, he'll help me out.

I ran through Riften and out the front gates.

After bribing the carriage driver to take me all the way to Riverwood instead of just to Whiterun, we got on our way.

"What awaits you in Riverwood, traveler?" The driver asked politely.

"I'm going to see a friend," I responded. I didn't feel like getting too familiar with the driver.

"Ah. We've all got friends in Riverwood. It's such a small town; only about a dozen or two people. But it seems like everyone knows someone in Riverwood. Am I right?"

I feigned sleep for the rest of the trip.

While pretending to be asleep, I kept thinking about what could have make Ekim leave without telling me. Maybe the Dark Brotherhood called him back to check in. Or maybe he remembered he left the oven on. Or maybe he decided to get a head start on me and would meet me at Ustengrav. Whatever the reason, I just hoped I would see him again soon.

When we finally reached Riverwood, I paid the driver and thanked him for his service (I also apologized for being "asleep" the entire time) and headed over to Ralof's house. I knocked on the door and waited a few moments. No one came to the door. I looked at the forge around the corner and didn't see his father anywhere. Upon closer inspection, I found scratch marks on the door. Blood led off to one side of the porch. Fear gripped my heart and I decided the Inn was the next best place to check.

I walked into the Inn and saw that it was almost abandoned. The bartender and a sweeping maid were the only inhabitants. I walked over to the bartender and asked if she knew where Ralof or his family had gone.

"Oh...you haven't heard? Wolves came into town about a couple nights ago. They ate our livestock and killed some of the citizens…" The bartender sighed. I feared she may start crying uncontrollably.

"What about Ralof? What about his family?" I asked hurriedly.

"I don't know about Ralof but...I know that his mother didn't make it...one of his sisters too...it was a massacre. They were dragged out of town and...and..." And then the tears began.

If I hadn't been in such a rush to find Ralof...I probably still wouldn't have stuck around to calm the bartender down. It made me uncomfortable for some reason.

I rushed out of the bar and back over to Ralof's house. I followed the trail of blood down the street and outside of the town. It led down the path and into the woods. After a mile or so, I came across a small cave. Howling wind mixed with the howling of wolves greeted me at the entrance.

I thought about the lengths I was going to just to have a companion. How was I supposed to rid the land of dragons when I couldn't even complete a simple task without backup? I shrugged off the thoughts and entered the cave.

It was very dark and dank in the cave. I lit some flames in my hand for a little light.

That was a bad idea.

As soon as I lit the flames, the large looming face of a wolf appeared from the darkness. I leaped back but I wasn't quick enough. The wolf lunged and tackled me to the ground. Snapping jaws and razor sharp claws filled my vision. I struggled to get the wolf off of me but my efforts seemed futile.

I didn't understand. I had faced several wolves already and none were this strong.

As my arms began to grow weaker, I feared this may be the end. The wolf's head fell to my neck, jaw open. I flinched and waited for the clamping jaws of the wolf and death. But they didn't come. I opened one eye and saw that the wolf had a shining knife sticking out of its skull. Attached to knife was a hand.

Attached to the hand was Ralof.

Ralof unstuck his knife and kicked the wolf onto the ground. He then looked at me. His eyes scrunched for a moment as he tried to place my face. They widened once it was placed.

"Molag!" He yelled with joy. He offered me his hand and helped me up off the ground. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a huge hug.

"Ra...ow..Ralof...wolves, Ralof…wolves!" I gasped out in quick breaths.

Ralof let go of me and took a quick look behind him. "No, I don't think there's anymore," he said with a sigh. "I think I got them all."

He looked at his bloodstained knife and his face dropped.

"Could you uhh...could you take this, please?" He asked.

I grabbed the knife by its leather hilt and brought it down to my side. Ralof's eyes followed it the whole way.

"Ralof," I began. "The uh...the bartender told me about...what happened…"

Ralof finally broke his gaze from the blade and glanced at me.

"Oh, yeah...uhh...thanks."

He turned his back to me and walked further into the cave. I quickly followed him, tucking the knife into my boot beforehand.

We searched the rest of the cave to make sure there were no more wolves. Ralof insisted he had killed them all but still wanted to make sure. It only took a few minutes to search the cave. The bodies of Ralof's father and sister were strewn about the cave. The look on Ralof's face when we saw the bodies didn't show the sadness I had expected. It looked more like….guilt? Guilt mixed with sadness, but the guilt was definitely present in his eyes. I decided it was best not to ask him about this. It seemed inappropriate.

"So, Molag," Ralof said as we exited the cave. "What brings you here to this god-forsaken cave?"

As I explained my predicament to Ralof, a sense of selfishness washed over me. Ralof's family had just been murdered by wild wolves and here I was asking him to keep me company on a quest because my other friend left me.

To my surprise, Ralof agreed to come with me. He said he was thankful that I had come to him because he needed a distraction from the events of the past few days. Which was understandable, obviously. His enthusiasm both surprised me and worried me.

We looked at my map and began our journey. On the way, I explained to Ralof what had happened since I last saw him. I told him about the dragon at the Watchtower. I told him about Greybeards and Ekim. I told him about how there's a pretty good chance I was the Dragonborn, which he handled better than I did when I first heard it. I even told him about Kane, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it was so he knew I could somewhat understand how he felt. Obviously it was a completely different situation. I lost a friend I had just met, as opposed to my entire family.

Before I knew it, we had hit Whiterun again. It was getting dark but we decided it would be best to keep moving. After grabbing a quick meal at the bar, we headed out the gates once more.

Whiterun's government worked faster than I thought. There was already a new carriage driver waiting outside the gates. I half-hoped it would be Ekim. Sadly, it was not. On a happier note, the driver did agree to drive us as close to Ustengrav as possible.

After paying the gold to the driver, Ralof and I fell asleep in the back of the carriage. When we awoke, day was breaking and the driver said it would be another few hours until we reached the drop-off point. Ralof pulled out a whet stone from his pocket and began sharpening his blade he had picked up from his house when we passed through Riverwood. Once he was done with his, he asked if I wanted mine sharpened as well. It seemed to distract him from darker thoughts so I complied.

As the driver had said, we reached the drop-off point not long after. Ralof and I disembarked and tipped the driver for his services. We found a small trail hidden off the road and decided to follow it for as long as we could. It led us to within eyesight of the temple. Just like Bleak Falls Barrow, this one was built into the side of a mountain. And just like Bleak Falls Barrow, a campsite was set outside. Unlike Bleak Falls Barrow, this one was occupied.

Two bandits and a mage slept in the tents surrounding a still burning campfire.

"Why are the still asleep? It's not even nightfall yet," I whispered to Ralof.

"The only logical thing I can think of is…" Ralof's voice trailed off as he unsheathed his weapon. "Get out your axe, Molag," he whispered as he crouched down. Go find a tree branch and break it in half. Make sure it's sharp."

Skeptically, I did what he asked. Since it seemed best to stay quiet, I found a tree that was far away from the campsite but still within sight, just in case things went sour. I used my axe to cut down a thick branch and broke it as crudely as I could to make the ends sharper. I still had no idea why we needed a couple pointy sticks but I learned it was best to trust people who knew what they were talking about.

I brought the sticks back to Ralof, who was still crouching near the tents. I handed him one and asked, "Why do we need these?"

"Vampires," he replied. "Aim the pointed end to the heart and stab as hard as you can. They'll be weak because of the sun but they're still stronger than us. If you lose the stake, try to cut their heads off. Still got that fire?"

I nodded.

"Use that too. In fact, let's open with that."

I lit a flame in my palm, grasping the crude stake with the other. Then I had a thought.

"Ralof," I hissed. "What about the mage?"

He cursed under his breath and said, "I hadn't realized that before. See those black robes?"

I looked at the mage and saw that his robes were blacker than the others I had seen.

"What about them?" I asked.

"That's not a mage. He's a necromancer," Ralof explained. "A mage that plays with death. Be wary of him."

After giving the necromancer a wary glance, I followed Ralof's orders and knelt next to the first vampire. Ralof took his place next to the necromancer and started mouthing a countdown to the attack.

Three.

Two.

One.

I blasted the flames at the sleeping vampire. It flopped around like a fish out of water and screamed it's lungs out. I heard Ralof grunt as his vampire tackled him to the ground. The necromancer was awake now and scrambling to his feet. My vampire was slowly getting up. His face was disfigured but not in a hideous way. His forehead was scrunched causing his eyes to seem permanently angry. Fangs protruded from his gums, standing out among his other, more normal looking, teeth.

I raised my stake and kicked the vampire in the jaw, knocking it onto its back again. I brought the stake down on his chest. He let out one final scream before dissolving into a gray dust.

That was tied with a dragon for the weirdest death I've ever seen.

I looked over to see how Ralof was doing.

Only Ralof wasn't there anymore.

I looked over to see a vampire and a necromancer fighting a giant beast that hadn't been there a moment ago. This beast was giant, at least eight feet tall. And covered from head to toe in pitch black hair. It's face was a long snout. Bright white fangs filled its jaw line. The snarling that came from its mouth was the scariest noise I had ever heard.

I looked left and right for Ralof but he was nowhere to be found.

The beast grabbed the vampire by the neck with both claws. A sharp pull upward severed the vampire's head from his body. The vampire dissolved into dust before he even hit the ground.

The necromancer summoned a dark black spell in his palms and shot it at the beast. The howl that followed was indescribable. The beast collapsed on the ground and didn't move. The necromancer turned to me next. I dropped the stake and tried drawing my axe but the necromancer was too quick.

His hands were colder than the coldest ice. His eyes were redder than blood. He stared into my eyes and showed his fangs.

He grabbed my hair and lunged for my neck but, before the bite, he hissed in my ear, "Any last words before I rip your throat out?"

I struggled to turn into his ear.

"_Fus._"

A shower of blood and brain filled the air.

The dust blew away in the wind.

A sly smile crept across my face. I was proud of my ingenuity.

I suddenly remembered the hairy beast that lay at my feet.

I drew my axe and leapt back. The beast was no longer on the ground.

In fact, it was nowhere to be seen. What was on the ground, however, was an unconscious Ralof.

I rushed over to his side and turned him onto his back. I shook him and slapped him but he didn't wake up. He was still breathing and still had a pulse, which was obviously a good sign. I pulled him into one of the tents and decided to wait for nightfall.

No way I was sleeping after that.

Ralof woke up just after nightfall. While he was sleeping, I had went away to get more firewood for the campfire. I had been worried he would disappear when I was gone but, thankfully, that was not the case.

Ralof sat up in his tent rubbing his head.

"What...what happened…?" He asked tiredly.

"We were fighting the vampires and then you turned into a giant wolf and ripped one's head off," I explained. I didn't know what good it would do but I kept my hand on the hilt of my axe, just in case.

Ralof's eyes faced the ground and his shoulders shrank.

"Well, there you have it, Molag," he said with a sigh. "Remember those wolves we ran into on the way back from Helgen?"

"I remember," I responded.

"Then you'll also remember the big brown one bit me." He rubbed his arm up and down where the wolf had bit him. "That was an alpha. According to legends, they used to be men. The men were bit by werewolves and became werewolves themselves. Once the man lived out his life and passed away, he was reborn as an alpha. A brown wolf who can only be killed by a silver weapon."

This wasn't the strangest story I had heard to date but it did send a chill up my spine as I had a horrifying thought.

"Ralof...your family...the bartender said that wolves had come into town and grabbed them...was it really wolves? Or was it…"

Ralof stared into my eyes. "When a man is turned into a werewolf, his first transformation is involuntary. It happens on the night of the next full moon. After that, he can transform any time he needs. The other night was a full moon and my first transformation…" His voice trailed off as tears filled his eyes. "Another curse of the wolf is that...on the night of his first transformation...he is destined to kill his loved ones."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"My father was bit by a werewolf as well. That is why my sister was so worried about me when she learned that I, too, had been bit. My father was stronger than me...when he learned what was to happen to him at the next full moon...he killed himself. He did what I could not and now my family is dead because I was too damn selfish to save them."

Ralof rose to his feet and kicked a rock in frustration. He just stood there for the longest time, hands on his hips, eyes on the sky.

Finally, he turned to me and said, "Let's just get this over with."

He picked up his supplies and marched toward the temple. I had to jog to keep up with him.

After walking down a small set of stone stairs, we reached the doors to Ustengrav. With a combined effort from the both of us, we managed to get the doors open and entered the temple.

It took us a matter of hours to clear the caves of Draugrs and some other undead creatures. Eventually, we reached a familiar sight: a Word Wall, as the Greybeards called it. Another Shout for me to learn how to use. I told Ralof that he should go clear the next room. I'm not sure why but I didn't want him seeing me absorb the word.

I approached the wall and went through the routine again. The voices. The blue light. Being lifted into the air. As exciting as it should have been, I was tired of it. I didn't ask for this responsibility. And I did not appreciate it be thrusted on to me.

This time, the Shout I learned was _Feim_. I wanted to give it a shout and try it out but I was scared of what it could be. Maybe I would cause a great earthquake. Maybe I'd turn myself into a chicken. Who knows? Well, the Greybeards do. But I didn't exactly trust them to give me a straight answer.

"Molag!" I heard Ralof call from the next room. "Get in here! I think I found what you're looking for."

I shook my head and hoped Ralof wouldn't be able to tell what I had just been through.

I went through the stone doors and into the next room. This room was fairly large compared to the rest of the temple. There was a long bridge that divided two areas of dark water on either side of the hall. At the end of the bridge was, what appeared to be, a tomb. It was the same design as the Draugr's tomb in Bleak Falls Barrow where I discovered my first Shout. Hopefully, this tomb had a more peaceful occupant.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to go first…" I said, under my breath, to Ralof.

He shook his head from side to side and took a step back.

Gathering my wits, I took a step forward.

Thankfully, nothing happened, putting my heart at ease.

Until I took my next step and it just about leaped out of my chest.

Four large stone pillars jettisoned out of the water. Two on one side and two on the other. The pillars had large decorative dragon heads carved into the tops. They rumbled as they rose up towards the ceiling, coming to an arch over the bridge.

When the towers had first appeared, I heard Ralof curse and fall backwards. It was great to know my backup was so jumpy. I shouldn't complain though. I was as scared as he was. The only difference was that I was so scared, I couldn't move.

After waiting several moments to make sure that the towers weren't going to spontaneously turn into real dragons and attack us, Ralof and I drew our weapons and continued on our way to the other side of the bridge.

Upon reaching the other side, we steadily approached the tomb, anxiously waiting for the undead Jurgen Windcaller to emerge.

The Divines were on our side, it seemed, as Jurgen didn't budge from his eternal sleep. However, there was a dark cloud attached to that silver lining.

Clutched in Jurgen Windcaller's skeletal hands was not a horn, but a piece of paper.

It read:

Dragonborn-

I need to speak to you. Urgently.

Rent the attic room, at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.

-A friend

I handed the note to Ralof and walked over to the nearest wall, slamming my fist against it.

"Some friend," Ralof said as he crumpled the note and threw it aside. "Sending you into a cave full of Draugrs to die. Who do you think wrote it?"

My mind immediately went to Ekim. He had disappeared without a trace, knowing full well my next destination. The note could only be from him.

"I think I've got an idea," I said. "What do you think we should do?"

Ralof thought for a moment. "I say, we head to Riverwood and confront this…'friend' about the horn and see what they have to say about it."

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

Within a few hours, we found our way out of the temple. Thankfully, there were no bandits or vampires waiting for us outside. We found our path again and walked down the road to the nearest city. We hitched a ride with the local carriage driver and soon found ourselves in Riverwood, ready to confront this so called 'friend.'

Making our way through Riverwood, our eyes darting side to side, on the lookout for our 'friend', gave me a strange sense of adventure. I was walking through a small village, weapon at my hip, friend at my side, going to a room to meet an unknown enemy (or perhaps old friend). What started as me getting decapitated with no memory has transformed into a full blown adventure, complete with dragons.

I was starting to enjoy this. And that scared me a little.

We reached the Sleeping Giant Inn around dusk and rented the attic room (whoever this 'friend' is owes me 20 pieces of gold). The attic room, for some odd reason, didn't exist. The lady told me to take the room to my right, though, as she had a feeling it would be 'to my liking.'

_Great_, I thought. _The whole town is in on it._

I kept one hand on my axe and the other hand open to conjure up some flames if this all went south.

Entering the room warily, I took a look around and noticed two things:

One: There was an elderly blond woman standing in the corner near a wardrobe.

Two: 20 pieces of gold was a rip off for such a small, one-bed room.

"Relax," the old woman said, noticing my hand on my axe's hilt. "I'm of no threat to you, Dragonborn."

I stiffened when she called me that. It wasn't my name. She said it like an honorary title. And as much as I was beginning to enjoy this little adventure, I did not feel honored at all.

"My name is Delphine. We met once before," she began. I suddenly realized that she was the same Delphine that Ekim and I had met in Whiterun when we were talking to Farengar. "I am a huge believer in you, Dragonborn. I am sorry I had to lure you here in such a ludicrous manner. Please take this, as my humble apology."

She handed me a long curved object.

The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.

Ralof snatched it away from her with a quick "I'll take that" and stood beside me, eyeing Delphine up, anticipated a fight from the old woman.

Delphine gave Ralof a stern look before turning her attention back to me.

"Follow me," she said in a hushed tone. "I have information that will be well worth your troubles. Information about yourself and about the dragons."

Delphine opened up the wardrobe doors and pushed against the back panel. It settled back with a _thunk_ before sliding to the side, revealing a staircase heading down into a secret meeting room.

Delphine held her arm out, motioning us onward down the steps.

Ralof pulled his sword out of its sheath and aimed it level at Delphine's neck.

"Ladies first."


	7. A Blade in the Dark

Chapter Seven: A Blade in the Dark

At the bottom of the stairs was a room about the same size as the one above. There was a table in the center of the room with a map of Skyrim on it. Black flags dotted the map in various places. It seemed to be a war map, except none of the flags matched up with any of the forts listed on it. They all seemed to be placed on mountains or hilltops.

The walls of the room were lined with shields and weapons. Long, curved blades made up the majority of the weaponry with axes and short swords making up the rest of it. A small bookcase stood in the corner, almost empty.

After seeing that the room was empty except for us, I turned back toward Ralof and whispered in his ear.

"You should take the horn back to the Greybeards. I can handle her if anything goes wrong."

Ralof began to protest but soon caught himself and nodded. He gave Delphine one last look of warning and left us in the secret room.

"Thank you for asking him to leave," Delphine said. "I was a bit unwary about doing this in front of a stranger."

"He's a not a stranger," I snapped. "Not to me, at least. You, however, are the one who let us go into a temple filled with the undead, only to find out the item we seeked wasn't there anymore because _you_ had taken it to arrange this meeting. What? A letter saying 'meet me here' wasn't good enough?"

"It wasn't safe enough," she explained. "Thalmor guards have been getting very close to me lately and I couldn't risk being exposed."

"What-mor?"

"Thalmor," Delphine repeated. "In my opinion, they are one of the worst factions to ever plague mankind. They've been rubbing shoulders with the Blades for centuries, always getting in our way."

It seems like every sentence Delphine said only raised further questions in my unknowing mind.

"Who are the Blades?"

With a sigh of exasperation, Delphine explained that long ago, the Blades defended the emperor against any threats. They were his personal bodyguards. Once the original Dragonborn was discovered, a group of Blades split off from the originals and served the Dragonborn instead.

"And why do the Thalmor hate the Blades?"

Delphine threw her hands up in exhaustion.

"Oh, who even knows anymore. It goes back centuries. Anyone who knows the answer to that question died a long time ago. Now, do you want to hear what I have to say, or not?"

I guess patience isn't a virtue of the Blades.

"Fine. What've you got for me?"

Delphine sighed in relief.

"Okay, now then. See these black flags?" She motioned toward the map on the table.

I nodded in agreement and approached the map.

"These are all locations of dragon mounds," she explained.

I opened my mouth to ask what a dragon mound was but Delphine's finger silenced me.

"Dragon mounds," she began, "are burial places of the dragons of the past. Now, most of these are either dormant or minor dragons, like the one you faced at the Western Watchtower. This one, however," she pointed to a pin with two small flags on it, "is the problem. When Alduin first attacked Skyrim centuries ago, he had a whole army of dragons with him. Just like any army, this army had generals. We know the names of these generals through ancient texts and translations. This one is named Sahloknir and he was one of highest ranked generals in Alduin's army."

I was beginning to understand where this was going.

"Now...now I have a favor to ask."

Here it comes.

"According to our scouts, there has been major activity near Sahloknir's burial site."

And here it is.

"We need you to head out there and kill him, absorbing his soul so he may never rise again."

Thank you and good night.

"You expect me..._me_…to walk up a mountain and kill a centuries old dragon by myself, just because an old bodyguard told me to?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"It's not for me," Delphine snapped. "It is for all of Skyrim. And the whole world for that matter. You're the only one with the ability to put Sahloknir down for good."

I knew she was right and I completely understood her reasoning behind it. I was just too scared to care at the moment. I had killed one dragon in my lifetime and I had half the city watch to back me up. And I _still_ almost lost. How could she expect me to kill an even stronger dragon by myself?

"Don't worry," Delphine said as she walked over to a weapon's rack on the wall. "I won't send you in there totally unprepared."

She got an axe off the rack and set it on the table. She then pulled a chest out from under the table and opened it, pulling out a pile of leather armor and setting it next to the axe.

"This is the armor of the Blades. It is stronger than most light armor you could buy in a store and is fire-resistant. Note I said fire-resistant and not fire-proof. Ever sleep in a water-resistant tent? You get pretty wet. Just because it's built to stand heat doesn't mean you should dive in front of a dragon's mouth."

Oh, gee. Glad she told me that. I was planning on standing right in front of him and letting him blast me in the face with jet of flames.

"This axe is not a Blade's axe, however. The Blades strictly used, well, blades such as these katanas on the wall. This axe is made of Dwarven metal and should be significantly stronger than that one you're carrying now. Since the extinction of the Dwarves long ago, these weapons are hard to come by so try not to lose it."

I picked up the axe. It was made of a bronzelike metal (Dwarven, apparently) but didn't seem to be any heavier than the iron one at my hip. The edge was definitely sharper though. I realized this when I ran my finger up the blade and immediately began gushing blood.

"Thank you," I said, hiding my bloodied finger behind my back. I picked up the armor next and checked it out.

It was made of a tough brown leather, as opposed to my blue armor from the Jarl. It didn't seem to be any more special than my own armor but I took a leap of faith and donned it anyways.

"Fits you well," Delphine observed. "There should be a carriage waiting outside to take you to the mound. For safety reasons, you'll have to go alone."

"I'm sorry. Whose safety exactly?"

"The Blades and the guards of Skyrim. We can't stand to lose any more of them."

But you can stand to lose the only Dragonborn in the world. Gotcha.

Reading my mind, Delphine said, "It's not that we aren't worried about losing you, too. It's just that we must have faith in the Divines. We must believe that they will not let you die before saving our land from the dragons."

I still didn't feel safe. The Divines hadn't exactly blessed me with good luck. I knew it was no use arguing though so I nodded a goodbye to Delphine, headed up the stairs and out to the road, boarding the carriage waiting for me there.

Time to kill a dragon.

Again.

Mountains are high. A lot higher than you think until you're standing near the top of one. I only bring this up because on the ride I was thinking about how it's not so bad to be a dragon and, now that I'm standing with my feet firmly planted on the ground at the top of a mountain (not even the tallest mountain in the country), I could not imagine having nothing beneath me as I soar through the sky.

The carriage dropped me off a mile away from the dragon mound. A small dirt trail led me the rest of the way. The whole way up, I had the strangest feeling I was being watched. This caused me to keep a wary eye on the sky, waiting for the dragon to sneak up behind me.

Can dragons sneak?

Anyways, I reached the mound about midday, new axe already brandished. A snap of a twig behind me caused me to spin around but my paranoia was cut short when the ground began to rumble and a dragon's screech filled the air.

The rumbling came from a nearby circle of dirt. When I say circle, I mean a ring the size of a small house. The dirt wasn't what intrigued me. The dragon's head poking out of it, well, now that was enough to peak my interest.

Wanting to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible, I raised my axe and charged toward the writhing head. The dragon screeched and screamed as I neared it. I swung my axe down and it stuck in the dragon's snout. A feeling of triumph surged in my body.

Until the rest of the dragon burst out of the ground, sending my flying back into a tree.

So much for quick and painless.

My head was swimming as I staggered to my feet. As I looked up at the burial mound, I noticed it was no longer there. The dirt had been ejected from it and had formed piles around it. In the center of the piles was Sahloknir the general. His large dark orange body stood at least thirty feet tall, his scales shimmering and his eyes glowing. If he hadn't been trying to kill me, I would think he looked quite beautiful.

Sahloknir reared his head back and blasted a jet of flames at me.

No, wait.

Not flames.

Ice.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

I dove out of the way as a plume of ice froze the tree where it stood.

_Figures_, I thought. _I get fire-resistant armor to go fight a dragon and the dragon breathes ice._

Divines, you bastards.

I quickly managed my surroundings and tried to come up with a battle plan. I didn't know if the fire-resistant armour left me especially vulnerable to ice or not but it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I dove behind a boulder as another jet of ice soared over my head.

Suddenly, I remembered my bow and arrow and an idea formed in my head. Fire can melt ice...if the elements had any play in the creation of these beasts, then maybe I stood a chance against the general.

I drew my bow and pulled out an arrow. A quick conjurment of flames combined with a handful of moss and grass lit the tip of the arrow on fire. I nocked the arrow and stood up, aiming at the dragon's chest. After firing the arrow, I quickly ducked back behind my cover.

The wail of the dragon told me that my arrow had found its mark and that my idea was working. I grabbed more grass and made another flaming arrow.

This time the dragon was ready for me and blew the arrow out of the air (literally) when I fired it. The blast of ice he had blown hit me in the shoulder, causing my entire left arm to go numb. And I don't mean 'slept on it funny' numb. I mean it was frozen solid and I couldn't even move it.

I struggled up to my feet and drew my axe again. The dragon was advancing toward me and my cover. His claws somehow glistened in the sun, despite being covered in centuries of dirt.

The numbness in my arm spread through my body, causing me to fall to my knee. The dragon was twenty feet in front of me, claws tapping the ground as he moved, anticipating his kill.

I decided to try out the Shout I learned while on the wild goose chase for the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.

I summoned my strength, gathered a lungful of air, and Shouted, "_Feim_."

Nothing.

No rush of air anywhere.

The dragon, apart from being startled that this puny little elf was speaking his language, was unaffected.

He brought up his claw and swung it straight through me.

No, I mean _straight through me_.

His claw passed through me without so much as a tickle.

I looked down, expecting to see my innards spilling out, but instead I saw my body glowing blue. Not the blue from the Word Walls. This was brighter and...bluer.

Now the dragon was taken aback. He raised his other claw and swung it through me again.

Still nothing.

Invincibility.

Divines, I take it back.

I rose to my feet, the ice thawing through my body. I raised my axe and sliced it against the dragon's maw. It roared back, exposing its belly. A blast of flames from my palm sent him stumbling back towards his burial site. Confidence filled my body as I charged forward.

Did you know invincibility was temporary? Because I didn't.

I'm just lucky the dragon decided to do a backhand this time. The Shout wore off just as the back of his claw smashed into my side, sending my flying into another tree.

Who planted all these damn trees here?

My axe flew away from me and another blast of ice paralyzed me.

I tried the Shout again but I didn't have enough energy to make it work.

Now I was really out of options.

I closed my eyes and waited to hear the slice of the claws through my abdomen. But it never came.

What came instead was a dagger, piercing the dragon's eye. The wielder of the dagger reared himself on top of the dragon's head, stabbing like a mad man. The dragon stumbled back, writhing all over the place. I didn't know how the dagger wielding rider was still conscious and hanging on.

The ice on my limbs began to thaw and I slowly rose from the ground and located my axe. The rider had both daggers stuck in the dragon and was guiding the spastic head like a horse. He saw me reach my axe and guided the dragon to my location. I picked up the axe and spun around, raising it in the process.

The dragon's head was in the perfect place.

And so was my aim.

With one last final grunt, the dragon slumped down.

"You may want to dismount now," I told the rider. The body erupted into flames shortly after. The same blue light and wind came as before, as I absorbed my second dragon's soul. Power surged through my body. I felt invincible. I could take on the world.

But I was too happy for that.

Ekim stood in front of me, wiping his bloody daggers on his armor.

"You need to learn how to take care of yourself," he said with a smirk. "You just got saved by a kid."


	8. Diplomatic Immunity

Chapter Eight: Diplomatic Immunity

After giving Ekim a hearty hug with a thankful pat on the back, I slapped him across the face and demanded to know where he had been.

Suddenly, I was his mother.

As the side of his face turned red from my handprint, he explained.

"I was here. I was with you the whole time. When we were at the Inn and I stayed back in the bar for a drink, I noticed one of my Dark Brothers sitting at one of the booths. I assumed he was there on assignment but it turns out he had been ordered to watch us. You see, the Dark Brotherhood wants me to keep an eye on you. They know what you are and what you're capable of."

_What_ I am.

"They want to keep close tabs on you at all times. We may be assassins but we're patriotic assassins. We only want the best for Skyrim. And we hope that you are what is best. That night at the Inn, my Brother told me that the rest of the Brotherhood was uncomfortable with me being so close to you. They thought it would make me question my allegiance to the Brotherhood."

He turned and looked toward the still smoldering pile of dragon bones behind him.

"I guess they were right to do that. When my Brother gave me the orders to follow you and do nothing more, he also made me swear that I would not interfere with your quest at all, lest I be...ejected...from the Brotherhood."

I had a feeling I knew what 'ejected' meant. I was sure leaving a sacred family of assassin's wasn't like leaving the City Guard. You couldn't just quit. They had to make sure you wouldn't expose them to the world.

They had to kill you.

"But when I saw you get knocked into that tree, I knew I had to do something. I mean...you're the Dragonborn second and my friend first. The Brotherhood can do what they like to me. You are destined to be the savior of our land. And if your destiny holds true, I'm guessing you need to be alive to save us. You're alive because of me. So, in a way, I may have just saved our entire land. It was selfish of me to save you, really."

If feeling drummed up by emotion made you a hero, then I am definitely the one this land deserved. I couldn't believe what Ekim had just told me. He saved my life even though he knew it meant being on the run for the rest of his life, and probably die at the hands of his sadistic Family. He can joke about it being for selfish reasons all he wants. He saved me because he cares about me.

My destiny may be to save this land. But that doesn't mean I have to do it alone.

Ekim insisted on hiding and following me like nothing had happened. He was certain it wouldn't fool the Dark Brotherhood but figured it was worth a shot.

The whole carriage ride back to the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, I kept glancing around me to see if I could catch a glimpse of Ekim following me. I don't know if he used an invisibility spell or was just hanging on under the carriage. Either way, I didn't spot him for the entire trip, nor did I spot him while I met up with Delphine in her hidden meeting room.

"You took your time getting back, didn't you?" Delphine said without looking up from whatever piece of paper she had on the table.

Ralof was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room sharpening his sword. He stood up when he saw me and rushed over to greet me.

"Thank the Divines you're back. Delphine has said four words since I got here five hours ago. Those were 'sit down' and 'I'm working.'" Ralof said, under his breath.

I gave him a smile of assurance and turned back towards Delphine.

"I'm sorry it took so long to single-handedly kill a dragon general, who, by the way, breathed ice; not fire."

Delphine looked at me like I was insane.

"Ice?...Are...are you sure?" She stammered.

"I can pull down my pants and show you the frostbite, if you'd like."

"Dear god, no," she said so quick I was offended for a moment. "I've just never heard of a dragon that breathes anything but fire. One that breathes ice is...it's unheard of. It has never even been considered, as far as I know."

I sat down in Ralof's chair and said, "Well, consider it. It's true. If it wasn't for…" I trailed off for a moment, considering telling them that Ekim had helped me. They would ask questions about who he is and why he helped me. I didn't feel like telling them my savior was a soon-to-be ex-assassin I met when he was undercover as a bandit.

"Wasn't for what?" Ralof asked.

"My reflexes and Shouts," I continued, "I would've been an icicle."

Ralof began chuckling, as if the idea of me being frozen in ice and eaten by a dragon was hilarious.

"I'm sorry," he said, still chuckling, "it's just that your name literally means 'fire.' The thought of you being killed by ice was just..," he cleared his throat, "nevermind. Nice work, Molag."

I bet it wouldn't be as funny if I lit him on fire and had Sahloknir put it out with his breath.

"Guys?" Delphine interrupted before I had the chance to test my theory. "Mind if we get on with the next part of the plan?"

I scrunched my eyes. "What plan is that, exactly?"

Delphine motioned to the piece of paper on the table and began to explain.

"We believe that the Thalmor have information on why the dragons are returning. The Blades have a secret informant in their organization that tells us the Thalmor have secret documents hidden away that concern the dragons and the Dragonborn."

"And let me guess," I said with a sigh, "you want me to go and get them?"

"I'd go myself but the Thalmor know what I look like. You, despite being the Dragonborn, are virtually unknown in Solitude. I would stand out like an orc at an elf party. Which brings me to my next reason for having you enter. You're an elf. The Thalmor are made up primarily of High Elves. Don't call me racist but there is very little difference between a Wood Elf and a High Elf, other than a slightly different color skin and the fact that High Elves are better with magic than Wood Elves. You fit almost perfect."

I had a feeling I did a lot of things 'almost perfectly.'

"So, what? I sneak into this building filled with High Elves and hope they don't notice?"

Delphine picked up the piece of paper and handed it to me.

"In a way, yes," she said. "This is a map of the building, floor by floor. The Thalmor are famous for their dinner parties. They invite basically everyone in Skyrim to them. No one will question why you're there or who you are. And if they do, just make something up."

I took the paper from her and looked it over. The Thalmor embassy was gigantic. Sahloknir could have used it as his house, with room to spare. There were at least three floors in the main building. A large yard separated the Embassy from another building in the rear. The main building had kitchens, bedrooms, storage areas, and gathering areas. I couldn't imagine what the second building could have.

Okay, well, I _could_ imagine what they used that building for but I chose not to.

Delphine pointed to the largest room in the Embassy and said, "Here is where the main party will take place. Your first task is to blend in to the party goers and make yourself as inconspicuous as possible. Really blend into the walls."

A let out a snort of derision. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll be easy with armor on and an axe at my hip."

Delphine glared. "Do you think we're stupid, Dragonborn? You won't be wearing armor or your weapons."

"I didn't think you were stupid before but I do now," I said with a tone of frustration. "How can you expect me to defend myself if things go south? Shouts and fire can only do so much."

"If you'd shut your Shout hole for a second, I'll continue the plan," Delphine snapped. "Before you go to the Embassy, you will meet one of our men in Solitude. His name is Malborn. Whatever weapons and clothing are necessary for defending yourself while sneaking through the halls will be delivered inside by Malborn. He will let you know where they will be and, when you sneak away from the party, you can retrieve them and continue on."

"How do you know we can trust him?"

"...because he is the only one who hates the Thalmor more than I do. They killed his family back in Valenwood. Trust me. He's on our side." Delphine explained solemnly.

I nodded my head.

"Do we have any idea where these papers are being kept?" I inquired.

Delphine pointed to the back building.

"Somewhere in the basement of this building," she explained. "Unfortunately, our informant could not give us a detailed layout of the building. All he said was that one of the Thalmor agents said she was putting the papers in the dungeon of this building."

Dungeon. That sounds promising.

"After you get the papers, there should be a tunnel leading from the dungeon to some caves. Then you just follow those caves outside and meet me back here. Easy."

Oh, yeah. Easy. Just have to sneak in to a party full of enemies, cause a distraction, sneak away into a heavily guarded area, work my way through there, find the dungeon, find the papers, find the hidden exit, and make my way through an unknown cave which will open up someplace outside, and then somehow find my way back here. Easy.

"Last question: What happens if I fail?"

Delphine sighed thoughtfully. "Well, then I guess we'll have to find another hero to help us but I don't see that as likely so…don't."

Don't. Great advice.

"Meet Malborn at The Winking Skeever bar in Solitude. He'll let you know what the plan is once you get inside. Good luck."

Delphine folded up the map of the embassy and said, "Now, I have other business to attend to but I'm sure you'll do fine. And if not, well, it was nice knowing you, Dragonborn."

As I entered Solitude, I immediately knew I had to watch my step in this town. Just to the right of the front gates was a stage. On the stage was a man on his knees with his arms tied behind his back. Next to the man was a large ax being held up by an even larger man with a black mask. An executioner.

Light him on fire and he'd be a spitting image of the executioner that nearly killed me.

On the other side of the bound man was a guard reading a scroll, announcing the man's crimes. As he listed the crimes, scattered people in the crowd shouted objections.

"Liar!"

"He did nothing wrong!"

"Please! Hear him out!"

But their words landed on deaf ears. The guard with the list made a motion toward the executioner.

I looked away after that.

The Winking Skeever was only a few buildings down on the left, just across the road from a trading post. An image of a large rat (a Skeever, apparently) decorated the hanging sign outside the door. The winking rat made me uncomfortable so I scurried into the bar and took a look around.

The bar was full of empty tables and chairs. The patrons must all have gone to witness the unjust execution. All except one. A Wood Elf sat alone at a table in an alcove, hood drawn.

As I approached him, he raised his head and stared at me.

"Name?" He asked quickly.

"I..um...Molag," I stammered. "You're Malborn, right?"

He shushed me harshly. "Not so loud," he hissed. "Are you aware you're being followed by an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood?"

"A...what…oh! Yeah, I know. Don't worry. He's a friend."

Malborn seemed confused. He relaxed once he read my face and determined I was being truthful.

"Have a seat, Molag, and let's go over the plan."

I squeezed myself into the booth next to him and looked around the room again, trying to catch a glimpse of Ekim. It must not be that hard if Malborn caught wind of him right away. Malborn must have magic eyes or something because I couldn't even glimpse a shadow.

"When you enter the embassy," Malborn began, "it's very important that you blend in. You'll be going in without any weapons or armor. If you get found out, you'll have nothing to defend yourself with."

"But Delphine said you would give me all the weapons and armor I needed."

"Delphine misspoke. I will have _your_ weapons and armor hidden inside. All I will be providing you is dress clothes for the party and a brief layout of what's inside." Malborn explained.

"Oh, great," I sighed exasperatedly. "Add that to the list of ways I'm totally unprepared for this."

"Then maybe you should stop complaining and listen to my plan," Malborn snapped.

I stopped complaining and listened to his plan.

"Here is a ticket to the party. It should get you past the front gate," Malborn explained as he passed me a piece of parchment with my name on it. "Once inside, you'll have to cause a distraction. While everyone is busy, you'll have to sneak into the supply closet in the corner of the room. That's where your gear will be. There's a hidden passage in there that leads you to the backyard of the mansion. You'll have to sneak through the yard and avoid all the guards, break in to the other building, make your way downstairs and find the papers."

"And then find the secret passageway into the caves and escape," I finished for him.

"Glad to see you're not as stupid as you look."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. One more thing: where will you be during this?"

Malborn leaned back against the cushion of the booth, grabbed his ale, and sighed, "I planned this whole operation and now I have to be a part of it? You're on your own, firebug." He chugged the glass of ale and motioned for another one.

I had a feeling Malborn was a mean drunk so I decided now would be a good time to head out.

As I exited the booth, Malborn kicked my leg from under the table, almost tripping me.

"Maybe you _are _as stupid as you look," Malborn muttered. "I haven't even told you what to do with your gear or where to get your party clothes. Honestly, how did you even survive this long?"

I felt Shouting at him until one of us exploded but I controlled myself.

"I'm sorry," I said through gritted teeth. "Please, oh Mighty Malborn, explain."

Malborn looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to determine if he liked the mocking name or not.

He must've liked it because he finally looked up and said, "On the trail up to the front gate, there is a hollowed out tree on the right hand side. You'll know which one it is. There is literally an arrow pointing right to it. Inside the tree are your party clothes. Once you've donned them, drop all your remaining gear into the tree and I'll make sure it gets inside safely."

As much as I knew I could trust Malborn, it was difficult to believe the drunken elf could keep his word. Or that he wouldn't pass out before completing his task. I decided to hope for the best and left The Winking Skeever.

Avoiding looking at the execution stage, I briskly walked toward Solitude's gates and out into the world.

The path up to the embassy was much more crowded than I had anticipated. A mile of well-dressed elves lined the roadway in a congestion of glitter and fabric. I snuck through the woods along the path, investigating each tree I saw to see if it was the hollow one Malborn had indicated.

As the grand front gate of the embassy loomed nearer and nearer, my heart raced faster and faster. What would happen when the guards saw me? A figure full of weapons and covered in armor sneaking through the woods next to bunch of rich people dressed for an embassy party? No doubt I would be shot on sight, no questions asked.

As I slumped against a rock, feelings of dread washing over me, a short gust of wind whizzed past my face, followed by a sharp thud of metal on wood behind me. I hit the ground as hard as I could and peered over the rock. An arrow jutted out of a nearby tree. I crouched down and scanned the woods for the shooter and spotted Malborn at the far end of the forest.

He lowered his bow, raised his beer, and went on his way.

Beautiful images of beating Malborn over the head with his flagon of ale danced in my head as I changed clothes behind the rock.

After dumping my gear in the hollowed out tree, I discretely made my way into the long line of people waiting for the party.

They're lucky I wasn't after their fortunes. These people talked about everything from what jewels they keep in the bank to how much gold they had in their pockets right now. I could have walked out of there with my pockets full and my mind pure, once I heard how they earned it. Extortion. Bribes. Thievery, itself. Unfortunately, the ridiculous blue and red silk dress Malborn had left for me had no pockets.

It did, however, have room for my embarrassment and self-consciousness.

The line slowly got longer and longer as the gate grew closer and closer. I suddenly panicked.

My letter of admittance was still with my gear in the hollowed out tree.

It was too late to go back. It would look too suspicious.

The gate was only a few yards away now. I could see the guards checking people's invitations, scanning them for signs of counterfeiting.

My heart raced as the guards near the gate eyed me up. One wrong move and I would be cut down before I could say, 'Malborn, you bastard.'

My mind ran in circles while trying to figure out a way out of this. The swords on the guards' hips looked sharper than they had a moment ago.

Finally, it was too late. I was at the gate, face to face with the guards in their bronze armor. Maybe I could make it into the woods before the archers got a good shot lined up. Or maybe Ekim was watching and would provide some cover fire.

"Name and invitation, please, sir," said the guard, hand outstretched.

"Let me...heh…let me check my...um...pockets, here. Heh." I stammered, pretending to be flustered.

It wasn't difficult.

It was then I felt something in the linings of my sleeve. It felt oddly like a couple of pieces of folded parchment. I reached into the sleeve and pulled out the paper. One was embroidered with bronze foil and the other one smelled of beer. I unfolded the alcohol-emblazoned paper.

It read:

**Molag**

** I had a feeling you might need another copy.**

** You're welcome.**

** Malborn**

I sighed a sigh of frustration and relief and folded the paper back up.

"Sir?" The guard asked impatiently.

I hurriedly handed him the copy of the invitation.

The guard looked it over for a minute, eyeing each wrinkle and blemish.

Finally, he decided it was legitimate enough and waved me through.

The next checkpoint was the front door to the embassy itself, where they performed a weapon's check.

Luckily, Malborn hadn't hid any knives or swords in the sleeves as well and the checkpoint was passed with flying colors.

Inside, the mansion was crowded wall to wall with diplomats, guards, and enough fabric to make the mansion a stylish suit. Waiters milled about, serving drinks and appetizers to rich elves who would rather die than be in close proximity with a public servant.

The room itself was masterfully crafted. Wooden walls decorated with paintings of aristocratic looking elves surrounded the guests, staring down at them, silently judging their every move. It was more than a little off putting.

Thankfully, the room wasn't crowded enough to hide the supply closet at the far end.

Some guests sat on benches while most wandered about the room, greeting old friends and snarling at old foes.

"Oh, there you are, Rakfeer! How is your little wife?"

"Feara died last spring. You know that, Marow."

"Oh, that's right. How silly of me."

I leaned against the wall, observing the crowd and trying to find a way to cause a diversion so I could get to that closet.

I spent several minutes listening to conversations. Most were very hostile. It wouldn't surprise me if several elves ended up quarreling later in the nigh-...

"Excuse me, Rakfeer?" I called.

Rakfeer approached me reluctantly.

"Yes? What is it?"

I cleared my throat.

"Marow slept with your wife."

My gearbag wasn't hard to find in the supply closet. What was difficult was finding the secret switch to open the passageway to the backyard. It was hidden underneath a mop bucket full of water in the corner of the tiny closet. Once the bucket was removed, the switch was released and the wall slid open.

I quickly changed back into my regular gear and stashed my clothes in the bag before anyone could walk in. Fortunately, based on the sounds outside the door, it didn't seem like anyone would be interrupting me any time soon.

I slipped into the passage and flipped a lever on the wall. The wall slid shut behind me, leaving me in the dark.

After summoning a small flame in my palm for light, I made my way down the tunnel until I came to a short ladder. The ladder led up to a grate. The evening sun shone through, casting a dim red light on the dark cave.

I made my way up the ladder, carefully making sure my axe didn't hit the rungs. Once at the top of the ladder, I quietly opened the grate and peeked my head out.

Sure enough, the grate opened into the backyard. At least, I assumed it was the back yard. It was impossible to tell with the five gigantic rose bushes blocking my view. I pulled myself out of the cave and crouched behind the thorny bushes. Peering over, I realized my brief preparation for this mission was entirely too uninformative.

Guards were mentioned, yes.

A dozen guards in full battle armor scattering the yard, armed with swords, axes, maces, and bows? Not mentioned.

I was so fixated on the sheer number of guards (and their incredibly pointy weapons) that I didn't even notice the grate behind me start to fall.

By the time it caught my view, it had already creaked and screeched enough to wake the dead. I threw my arm out to try to catch the grate but it was too late. The metal hatch slammed down onto the iron frame and all eyes turned to the bushes.

The nearest guard drew his sword and approached my hiding spot. I gripped the hilt of my axe, ready to go down swinging.

As I contemplated leaping from the bush and taking down as many guards as I could before my inevitable death, another noise distracted the guards.

"Oh...heh...oh my...this is...this isn't the bathroom *hic* is it…"

A figure stumbled out of the back door to the mansion.

"No, you dummy…this is the yard!"

Make that two figures.

"Who you calling a dummy, dummy?" The first voice slurred.

Ekim and Ralof stumbled into view.

The guard near my hiding spot turned away and walked towards my friends.

"You are not allowed to be back here. Go back to the party now," the guard said commandingly.

Ekim drunkenly walked towards the guard and stared at him.

"You ca- *hic* you can't- *hic* you can't tell me what to do!" Ekim shoved the guard back.

I couldn't tell if that was brilliant or moronic.

The guard tripped backwards and fell over. The other guards in the yard drew their weapons and advanced on my two allies. This distraction gave me enough cover to get from my cover behind the rose bushes to the other side of the yard where I ducked behind the staircase leading up to the second building.

I poked my head around the stairs and saw Ekim and Ralof, now surrounded by guards, still drunkenly arguing their way through their distraction.

It was all going well until one of the guards swung his sword at Ralof's head.

Then it was all going great.

In a blur of steel and silver, Ralof and Ekim attacked the guards.

Blood sprayed.

Metal clanged.

And it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.

Working as a team, an assassin and a werewolf in human form took out all 12 guards within a matter of seconds. They were so quick and so quiet, the guards didn't even make enough noise to sound an alarm.

Ekim and Ralof exchanged a high-five, followed by a hearty laugh and a wave towards me. They left the yard by helping each other over the fence and into the woods.

I had apparently help spark a new friendship by being stupid enough to almost get caught and killed.

Good for me.

I made my way up the stairs and cautiously opened the door into the new building. At first glance, it appeared to be an armory. Racks of weapons and shields lined the hall I had entered in to. A guard in the Thalmor's bronze armor was sleeping on a bench at the far end of the hall.

As I made my way down the hall, I passed two doorways that led to the same room. The room had another half a dozen guards milling about in it. Some were talking and joking around. Others were sharpening their weapons. At the far end of the room was a stairwell leading down.

That must lead to the dungeon.

At the end of the hall near the sleeping guard was another room. This one was full of Thalmor armor.

There was no way I could get past these guards without being spotted or killed so I decided a disguise would be the best option.

Inside the room, I sorted through the sea of bronze breastplates, gauntlets, and helmets until I found some that fit me relatively well. Since Delphine had said that there was virtually no difference between Wood Elves and High Elves, I figured a helmet would be enough to conceal my identity.

After slipping the bronze armor on over my actual armor (which I do _not_ recommend), I casually left the armory and walked past the sleeping guard, who did not move a muscle.

Sweat filling up my armor, I entered the room where the remaining guards stood. Keeping my head down low so as not to show my skin to the High Elves, I quickly made my way through the room and towards the stairwell at the other end. Since I had not seen any schematics of the building, I had no clue where this stairwell would lead. But it was worth a shot.

"Hey, come over here for a second!"

_Great,_ I thought. _This almost went as planned._

Keeping my head down, I turned towards the guard who had spoken to me.

"What do you need?" I asked, trying to act as casual as possible.

The guard chuckled. "Have you heard about that Wood Elf guy who's been going around saying he's the Dragonborn?"

He and his friends laughed.

"Yeah, heh," I scoffed. "What an idiot, right?"

"Idiot? No, man. He's a freaking genius!" The guard took a swig of mead from his glass. "Going around the country claiming you're the Dragonborn? You could get all the mead you could drink and all the women you could bed! And you know everyone would die to defend you. I mean, if they think you're their only hope. Am I right?"

Again, the guard and his friends laughed and drank.

I gave them a fake laugh and rolled my eyes as I turned away.

"Hold up a second," the drunk guard slurred.

I froze.

"You're looking kinda dark there, pal. You been getting too much sun?"

"Heh, yeah. Been on post all week," I stammered. "Sun's been beating down on me all day."

The guard looked quizzical for a moment but his drunkenness won over his skepticism and he went back to drinking with his friends.

I quickened my pace as I neared the stairwell, not anxious to get drawn into another conversation with the drunken guards.

Heading down the stairs at a quick pace is never a good idea. It's an even worse idea when you're wearing two suits of armor. It's an even _worse_ idea when you're trying to be sneaky because, wow, does that make a lot of noise.

A gruff voice called up from downstairs, "Who's up there?"

I froze. Do I answer? I have to. He heard me and my armor clunking down the stairs.

"J-just a guard," I responded nervously.

"Well, 'j-j-just a guard,' come down here and help me get this prisoner out of his cell. He's a feisty one."

I clumsily made my way down the rest of the stairs and found myself in the dungeon. A couple cages lined one wall while a bloodied table and tray of even more bloodied implements sat near opposite wall. The room itself was small for a basement. Maybe 30 feet wide and 40 feet long. The only occupants of the room were a prisoner in one of the cells and the torturer trying desperately to get him out.

"Come on, Etienne," the torturer said exasperatedly, "I haven't got all day."

"Like _you_ have places to be," the prisoner retorted snidely.

"Quiet! Guard, come here and drag this pathetic rat out by his hair."

I hurried over to the cell and stood next to the torturer.

"Well?" The torturer said impatiently. "What're you waiting for?"

I tentatively entered the cell and approached the prisoner. He was leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed. Scars and scabs left little to the imagination of what he had been through down here.

"Come one step closer," the prisoner smugly whispered. "I dare you."

I looked the prisoner dead in the eye and gave him a sly wink. He looked a bit taken aback at first. I think he thought I was hitting on him. After I flashed a look of 'I'm on your side' at him, he seemed to understand.

He let me lead him out of the cell and towards the table. The torturer followed us close behind. When we neared the blood soaked table, the torturer went over to the tray of tools and began organizing them. Whether it was by size, sharpness, or general scariness, I couldn't tell.

"Hold him down," the torturer hissed. "I want this to be the last time we do this, okay, Etienne?"

Etienne yelled something in Nordic at the torturer, who laughed and placed his hands on Etienne's chest.

Etienne gave me a look of worry.

Black light shot out from under the torturer's palms, causing Etienne to flinch and spasm.

The light died down and the torturer removed his hands. Where they had been placed on Etienne's chest were two black handprints, smoldering from heat. Etienne, somehow, was still conscious, writhing in pain. He looked up at me again, his eyes begging me to help him.

Upstairs, we heard a guard shout. He shouted something about the yard...and bodies...and intruders.

The torturer looked up from Etienne and muttered, "Now what's all this about?"

Wiping his hands on a nearby rag, the tortured looked at me and said, "Keep an eye on him. I'll go see what all the fuss is about." A few seconds later, he had disappeared up the stairs and could be heard arguing with some of the guards.

I helped Etienne off the table and he limped over to a nearby chair.

"Thank you," said Etienne in between gasps of pain. "Who are you?"

"Not a day goes by where I don't ask myself that same question. I'm just here to get some papers. Papers about the dragons and the...the Dragonborn. Do you know where they might be kept down here?"

Etienne motioned toward a desk against the wall near the stairs.

I rushed over to the desk and started pulling open drawers. Sure enough, a stack of parchments sat in the middle drawer of the desk with the word 'CONFIDENTIAL' printed on the top. I grabbed the papers and closed the drawer.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I spun around to find myself face to face with the torturer. His face contorted as he eyed me up and down. A sudden look of realization shot through his eyes as he saw that I was not actually a Thalmor guard.

"Guar-!"

His words were cut short as Etienne grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth. I had never seen someone with so much ferocity in his eyes but, after being tortured day after day, I can understand where it all came from.

Etienne dragged the torturer to the other side of the room and slammed him against the wall.

"You really want the information, huh?!" Etienne yelled in his face. "Well, here it is…" Etienne leaned into the torturer's ear and muttered something I could not hear.

"Happy now?"

Etienne forced the torturer's mouth open and covered it with his palm. Staring the torturer in the eye, Etienne cast a spell from his palm. The same lightning spell I use against my enemies. He kept the spell going as the torturer screamed into his palm. It was a grotesque sight I couldn't bear to look away from.

Smoke seeped from the torturer's wide eyes as his face turned a horrible shade of reddish black.

Finally, he stopped screaming.

Etienne let the body slide to the ground as he backed up, panting. He turned towards me. Not even the wolves of Skyrim were as wild as Etienne's eyes.

He turned away from me and marched over to the cell next to his.

"There's a secret tunnel over here. I've seen the guards use it before. We can use it to get out."

With dozens of guards above me, I decided the best course of action would be to follow the prisoner and deal with whatever conflict we may have later.

I rushed over to Etienne, avoiding looking at the charred face of the torturer as I did so.

Sure enough, when Etienne pressed his hand against one of the stones on the wall, it slid in and the wall slid to the side, revealing a hidden passage.

"Come on," he said hurriedly. "They'll be down here any second."

I ducked through the doorway, which slid shut behind me, and followed the deranged Nord through the dark tunnels and out to safety.


End file.
